A bowl of orange-red ezogelin lentil-and-bulgur soup

Principiante

Ezogelin Çorbası (Red Lentil, Bulgur & Mint Soup)

Name: Ezogelin Çorbası (Red Lentil, Bulgur & Mint Soup)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 200 g Red lentils, rinsed; 2 tbsp (30 ml) Fine bulgur; 2 tbsp (30 ml) Short-grain rice; 1 Onion, chopped; 2 cloves Garlic; 3 tbsp (45 ml) Olive oil; 1 tbsp (15 ml) Tomato paste; 1 tbsp (15 ml) Red pepper paste (biber salçası); 1 tbsp (15 ml) Dried mint; 1 tsp (5 ml) Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber); 0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) Ground cumin; 1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) Salt; 1.5 L Water or vegetable stock; 1 Lemon, in wedges, to serve

A heartier cousin of plain lentil soup, thickened with a little rice and bulgur, coloured deep red with pepper paste and finished with a fragrant pour of mint-and-pepper oil.

Fuente

Receta de Turkish home kitchens · 🏺 Tradicional · Household and neighbourhood cooking carried across Türkiye — no single author owns these dishes

Turkish · traditional dish — An ownerless traditional dish, so no individual cook is credited. The cited article documents ezogelin soup as a Turkish red-lentil soup enriched with bulgur and rice and seasoned with mint and pepper, tied to a folk tale of a bride named Ezo. Quantities and step wording here are this book's own.

Background on Wikipedia ↗

Watch it being made · 3 videos

Always Yummy!Nefis Yemek Tarifleri | Bugün Ne Pişirsem?Happyfoodss

⏱ 45 min🍽 4 porciones🔥 210 kcal🇹🇷 Turquía🌶️

VeganoVegetarianoSin lácteosSin frutos secosHalal

Pasos

Soften the chopped onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper paste and cook 1–2 minutes until darkened.
Add the rinsed lentils, bulgur, rice, cumin and salt and stir to coat.
Pour in the water, bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer.
Cook, stirring now and then so nothing sticks, for 25–30 minutes until the lentils have collapsed and the rice and bulgur are soft.
The soup should be thick but pourable; loosen with a little hot water if needed.
For a smoother soup, blend briefly with a stick blender, or leave it rustic.
In a small pan, warm a spoonful of oil with the pepper flakes and half the dried mint until the oil turns red and smells fragrant — just a few seconds, don't burn it.
💡 The dried mint and pepper oil poured on top is what makes it ezogelin — don't skip it.
Stir the rest of the mint into the soup, then swirl the mint-pepper oil over each bowl.
Serve very hot with lemon wedges to squeeze in at the table.

💡 Consejos

For a richer, non-vegan finish, make the mint-pepper topping with butter instead of oil.
Add the lemon only at the table — its brightness fades if it boils in the pot.