4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4-6 medium yellow potatoes, diced (no need to peel)
1 pound (450g bag) green lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 vegetarian stock cubes (low-salt if possible)
6-8 cups water (you may need more – I used about 150% of the volume of the lentils)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons parsley (fresh is better)
3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar, sucanat, agave juice or honey
In a large pot, heat olive oil and fry onions, celery, garlic and potatoes until the onions and celery are soft. Add lentils, stock cubes, water and salt. Stir and bring to a boil at a high temperature, then boil at medium heat for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the lentils are tender. Add curry and parsley, continue to boil at medium heat for another 5 minutes.
Using a hand blender (if you have one), puree about 30% of the soup to get a softer, smoother consistency. Take off the heat source and stir in your preferred sweetener.
The quantities are approximations – they should work, but lentil soup isn’t an exact science :) What you’re aiming for is something thinner than daal and thicker than a regular soup – it’s really a ‘stew’ you’re making.