ADAS BI HAMED (LEMONY LENTIL SOUP)

This is one of the first recipes I created in my “cooking career”. I was relying on my taste buds, as I was not able to reach my mother for help all the time. It must have been around 1990 when calling Lebanon meant dialling a number hundred times until you got through. A nearly impossible thing for a young, overwhelmed mother!

I remembered my mom used to make a similar soup, and I was missing the freshness of lemon and mint in food. As much as I was enjoying the newly introduced flavours from the good old Bavarian/ German cuisine, I still longed for the flavours of home, especially when feeling homesick.

I have been calling this soup adas bi hamed for years now although no Swiss Chard is involved in it like in the original recipe. This adaptation is straightforward without having to clean and wash any greens. All you need is green lentils, rice, potatoes, onions, garlic and lemon juice- ingredients being usually available in a middle eastern and Lebanese pantry.

This hearty soup bursts of healthy and bright flavours. It ranks high in my selection of Lebanese food that I use when I want to introduce people to our cuisine. I have prepared it in my cooking courses, in charity events, and even in kindergarten when my children were small. It is so easy and fast to cook and most of all very satisfying.

You can watch a reel from Instagram for method.

Dina Kohl

Adas bi Hamid

Lemony Lentil Soup

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 200 g green lentils rinsed and drained
• 50 g rice rinsed and drained
• 1.5 litre water
• 1 medium onion 125 g, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium potato 150 g, peeled, rinsed and cut into small cubes
• 6 small garlic cloves peeled and crushed
• 40 g butter
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried mint crushed between the palm of your hands
• 2 tablespoons Lemon juice.

Method

 

1. To a medium pot add the lentils, rice, onions, potatoes and the water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
2. Heat the butter in a frying pan over moderate heat and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add garlic to the soup and season with the salt and black pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over moderate heat for about 5 o 10 minutes minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste if necessary.
3. Add the crushed mint and lemon juice and serve immediately.

Notes

All images and text © Dina Bayoud Kohl