Ingredients

• 150g Carrots
• 75g Red Lentils
• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ginger Root, Chopped
• 1/4 Medium Size White Onion, Chopped
• 1 Medium-size Red Chilli, Sliced
• 1 Tomato, Chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
• Salt
• 750ml Vegetable Stock

Tools

• Triblade Hand Blender
• Food Processor

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a pot and add the garlic, onion and red chilli.  Sauté till soft and translucent, then add the chopped carrots. Sauté for another minute and lower the heat.
2. Add the spice powders, salt and cook for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the lentils and the vegetable stock. Dried red lentils are perfect for this soup as they don’t need to be soaked before adding them to the pot.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour until the carrots and lentils are tender
4. Once cooked use a hand (stick) blender to blend the soup until smooth . Alternatively you could use a stand -alone blender.
5. Serve in a bowl garnished with fresh coriander, dried chilli flakes and/or a dollop of yoghurt.  You could also add croutons, toasted pumpkin seeds or even roasted peanuts 
6. This soup is delicious when paired with warm bread.