- Soaking the lentils for a few hours before cooking can help reduce their cooking time and improve their texture, but you can cook them unsoaked if you are out of time.
- Use green lentils if you don't have brown. Either won't become mushy when cooked. Dried lentils give you the best texture and flavour but if you're in a real pinch for time, you can use two 400g cans brown lentils (drained and rinsed). In this instance, instead of adding lentils in Step 2, add the lentils at the same time as the spinach/chard. This way you're merely heating lentils and don't risk them becoming mushy.
- Traditionally, this recipe is made with Swiss chard but if you don't have it on hand, spinach works well too.
- The amount of lemon juice added can vary based on personal preference and the tartness of the lemons. When the soup is ready, adjust according to your taste preferences.
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- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and caramelised.
- Add lentils, potatoes, vegetable stock and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add chopped spinach or Swiss chard leaves to the pot and continue simmering until the lentils are tender and the chard is wilted, about 15 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice & season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with lemon wedges.