Spiced Lentil & Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter
Misc	Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party
Region	Indian
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A fragrantly spiced soup with two of your Five-a-Day in one bowl, this makes a tasty lunch or supper dish when served with Naan breads or Pitta breads.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
600g carrots (peeled, and cut into small dice or rounds)
200g red lentils
1 litre of vegetable stock (I used Swiss Marigold Bouillon)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
2 onions (peeled and sliced into rings)
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
crème fraîche (to serve)
salt and black pepper

Note

A fragrantly spiced soup with two of your Five-a-Day in one bowl, this makes a tasty lunch or supper dish when served with Naan breads or Pitta breads. If you prefer a thinner soup, then add more stock to the soup after blending.

Directions

Step 1	Heat the rapeseed oil in a large sauce pan and then add the carrots, place the lid on the pan and allow the carrots to sweat for 5 minutes, before adding the red lentils - mix them around to coat them with the oil, replace the lid and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 2	Add the cumin and curry powder to the carrots and lentils and cook over a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring all the time, before adding the stock. Replace the lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft and the lentils are cooked. Allow to cool and then using a stick blender, blend the soup until smooth. Check seasoning and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Put the soup to one side whilst cooking the onion garnish.
Step 3	For the frazzled onions - pour the rapeseed oil into a frying pan over a high heat. Add the onion rings and fry over a high heat whilst constantly moving the onion rings around, if they brown too much, turn the heat down slightly. Continue to cook the onions until they are soft and yet crispy with charred edges.
Step 4	Re-heat the soup over a low heat without bringing it to the boil, check seasoning again and then ladle into warm soup bowls and garnish with the fried onions and some crème fraîche. Swerve with Naan bread or Indian flat breads.