Lentil, chickpea and fresh coriander soup

Warm, hearty and packed with healthy goodness, this soup has a full-bodied flavour finished with aromatic notes of coriander, giving it a light curry touch.

15 minutes prep. time
25 minutes cooking time
Serves 6
Soups, stews & curries, Vegetarian, Vegan

Lentil and chickpea soup — Enjoy this warming and healthy soup with some crusty bread | © National Trust/Chris Lacey

30ml vegetable oil
300g onions, roughly chopped
20g fresh coriander
90g tikka masala paste
400g red lentils
20g (2 cubes) vegetable bouillon
1 x 400g tin chick peas, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
60ml extra virgin rapeseed oil
2 tsp ground coriander

Step 1

Chop the stalks off the coriander and reserve the leaves until later. Finely chop the stalk.

Step 2

Place the oil in a large saucepan or similar on a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the onions and coriander stalks and stir well, sautéing lightly for around 5 minutes or until the onion is softening.

Step 3

Add the curry paste to the pan and stir well. Continue to sauté for a further 2–3 minutes.

Step 4

Rinse and drain the lentils and add to the pan. Stir well.

Step 5

Add enough water to cover the ingredients in the pan, stir well and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and stir in the vegetable bouillon or stock cubes. Check regularly and add more water as necessary to prevent the pan drying out.

Step 6

Once the lentils are soft and most of the liquid absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth, adding additional water until you have a smooth pouring consistency.

Step 7

Return to the heat, add the drained chickpeas and the roughly chopped coriander leaf, stir well and use the salt and pepper to season the soup to your liking.