# Egyptian Yellow Lentil Soup with Cumin

> Lentil soup turns creamy **without any cream** because yellow lentils collapse on their own. The depth comes from sautéing the onion and carrot in fat before the water goes in — a soup that is simply boiled tastes flat.

**Egyptian Cuisine · 45 min · 6 servings · 210 kcal per serving**

This is the cheapest filling soup in Egyptian cooking and the most common one on winter tables. There is a big difference between a boiled version and a sautéed one — and that difference takes five minutes.

## Ingredients

- 1.5 cups — yellow split lentils, rinsed
- 1 piece — onion, chopped
- 1 piece — carrot, chopped
- 1 piece — tomato, chopped
- 2 tbsp — oil or ghee
- 1 tsp — cumin
- 6 cups — water or stock
- 1 tsp — salt
- 1 piece — lemon
- toasted bread and fried onion to serve

## Method

1. **Rinse the lentils** — Rinse the lentils in cold water two or three times until the water runs clear. Yellow lentils rinse quickly and need no soaking, unlike larger pulses.
2. **Sauté** — Soften the onion in the oil over medium heat until it wilts and starts to colour, then add the carrot and tomato and give it **5 minutes**. This is the step that provides all the depth.
3. **Add the lentils** — Add the rinsed lentils and cumin and stir for a minute over the heat so they coat in the fat, then pour in the water or stock.
4. **Simmer** — Cover and leave on low heat for **30 minutes** until the lentils collapse completely and crush between two fingers. Skim any foam that rises in the first 10 minutes.
5. **Blend and finish** — Blitz with a stick blender until smooth, then adjust the salt and loosen with hot water if it has thickened. Serve with lemon, toasted bread and fried onion.

## Tips

- Sautéing before the water is not an extra step — it is the difference between a deep soup and a watery one.
- Yellow lentils collapse on their own, so you need no cream or flour for body.
- Squeeze the lemon at the table, not into the pot — the acidity fades with heat.
- It thickens as it cools. Reheat with half a cup of hot water and it returns to consistency.

## FAQ

### Why does my lentil soup taste flat?
Nothing was sautéed. The onion and carrot need to soften in fat until they take colour before any water goes in — five minutes that transform the flavour.

### Do I need to soak the lentils?
No. Yellow split lentils collapse in half an hour without soaking. Soaking is for large pulses such as fava beans, chickpeas and haricots.

### When should I add the salt?
At the end, after the lentils have collapsed. Salt added early to pulses toughens the skin and lengthens cooking — split lentils are less affected, but the rule still holds.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/egyptian-cuisine/yellow-lentil-soup-cumin
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-09-12