1½cupsgreen lentils, washed and drained. It's not a must to soak lentils, but I usually soak them for at least two hours.
1tablespoonolive oil
1medium onion, chopped
2medium carrots, sliced into rings
2celery stalks, chopped - about half a cup
250 gr/ ½ pound mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2tomatoes, coarsely chopped - about a cup
2clovesof garlic, chopped
½teaspooncumin powder
½teaspoonturmeric powder
1teaspoonsweet paprika
1½ liter/ 6 cups of water or vegetable stock
1teaspoonsalt
½cupcilantro - leaves only, chopped
Instructions:
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and sauté while stirring until transparent, about 3 minutes.
Add sliced carrots, chopped celery, chopped mushrooms, chopped garlic and the spices - cumin, turmeric and paprika. Be careful not to add salt at this point but only at the end of cooking (adding salt to legumes delays their cooking and leaves the beans stiff). Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add to the pot the green lentils (well washed and strained of course), chopped tomatoes and water or vegetable stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat without a lid for about 35 minutes, until the lentils and all the vegetables are softened.
Carefully remove the pot from the heat. Using a hand blender, mash some of the soup to create a thick and delicious texture. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher or mash in a blender about half of the soup. Return the soup to the stoves, add a teaspoon of salt, or more to taste, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.