Easy and Delicious Doenjang Lentil Soup.
This Doenjang Lentil Soup was an inevitability. I love lentil soup and it was only a matter of time before I came up with my own. This soup will taste a lot like the lentil soups you would order at your local Mediterranean restaurant, but, of course, with a little Korean twist. One of the reasons I love lentil soup is because it is so darn good for you. When we were little, it always seemed like all the “healthy” foods tasted horrible. As an adult, I’ve learned there are so many delicious and good-for-you foods, and lentils definitely fall into that latter category.
Lentils form the backbone of both Indian and Mediterranean cuisine and it is no coincidence that heart disease, obesity, and diabetes happens a lot less frequently in those two regions of the world than in the United States. “Pulses” (think legumes) have a ton of fiber in them and studies suggest that fiber may be the thread to long life. Fiber also helps you to feel fuller faster, meaning you end up consuming less calories. I’ve read enough about legumes and fiber to start trying to sneak lentils and beans into everything I eat—even desserts!
Now, before you tackle my Bean Ice Cream recipe (just kidding…sort of), try your hand at this soup. It’s perfect on one of those “I’m to busy to cook” evenings because you basically chop up the ingredients, throw it into a pot, and forget about it for like 45 minutes and voila—you have a delicious and hearty Doenjang Lentil Soup at your service.
Doenjang Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red lentils uncooked
- 1/2 cup rice uncooked
- 1 tbsp doenjang
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 diced red onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- In a large soup pot (I used a Dutch oven), add lentils, rice, doenjang, and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover the pot with the lid, and let the liquid simmer until it has completely evaporated (about 20 minutes).
- While your lentils are cooking, in a large pan, add your olive oil and medium high heat. When it begins to shimmer, sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic with salt and pepper, until the carrots start to soften and onions grow translucent (around 3 minutes). Add turmeric and cumin and continue stirring until the veggies are well coated and fragrant.
- Next, add the vegetables to the pot of lentils, together with 6 cups of vegetable stock. Drop in the bay leaves. Increase the heat again to high and bring the pot to a boil, before reducing the heat to low and letting the soup simmer until the rice and lentils are tender (around 20 minutes).
- Add kale, parsley and a squeeze of lemon and cook until kale begins to wilt (around 3 minutes). Serve with a fresh crack of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
May 17, 2020
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May 17, 2020
I love lentil soup so I couldn’t wait to try this one. Absolutely delicious! The flavors are amazing. It is now my new favorite lentil soup recipe.