Maraq Misir (Red Lentil Soup)

Name: Maraq Misir (Red Lentil Soup)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings (about 6 cups)
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large white onion, peeled and finely diced; 3 medium Roma tomatoes, diced; 1 cup red lentils, rinsed; 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced; 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed; 5 to 6 garlic cloves, minced; 4 teaspoons xawaash (see Tip); 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt; Muufo or cooked white rice (optional), for serving

By Ifrah F. Ahmed

Published Sept. 12, 2024

Maraq Misir (Red Lentil Soup) — Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 55 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(1,312)
Comments: Read comments

Maraq misir, also known as shurbo cadas, is a hearty red lentil soup found in Somali cuisine. This soup is great year round but is often in heavy rotation during Ramadan, when it makes for a light and nourishing option for breaking one’s fast. Alongside a foundation of quick-cooking red lentils, this soup gets its body from tomatoes, onions and carrots, and deep flavor from a layered blend of spices and fresh cilantro leaves. While many lentil soup variations exist, the warmth of the xawaash spices builds with each sip and makes this a uniquely Somali interpretation. The texture can suit your preference: Serve it as is, with some bite, blend it until smooth and creamy, or opt for a partly blended, half-chunky soup.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 6 cups)

2tablespoons olive oil
1large white onion, peeled and finely diced
3medium Roma tomatoes, diced
1cup red lentils, rinsed
1small carrot, peeled and finely diced
½cup cilantro leaves, rinsed
5 to 6garlic cloves, minced
4teaspoons xawaash (see Tip)
1½teaspoons fine sea salt
Muufo or cooked white rice (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a medium pot over medium, heat the oil until rippling, about 1 minute. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 7 or 8 minutes.
Step 2
When the onions have softened, stir in the tomatoes and cover. Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to break down completely, about 6 minutes.
Step 3
When the tomatoes have cooked down, add the lentils, carrot, cilantro, garlic, xawaash and salt. Top with 4 cups of warm water and cover. Cook the soup, stirring occasionally, until all the lentils are starting to fall apart and the vegetables have become soft, about 25 minutes.
Step 4
If desired, pulse the soup in a blender once or twice until the texture is half smooth and half chunky. Serve with a flatbread like muufo or over rice, if desired. Maraq misir can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Tip

To prepare your own xawaash blend, add 8 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom to a small nonstick pan. Toast over low heat, stirring continuously, for 1 minute or until the spice mix becomes fragrant, then stir in 1 teaspoon ground turmeric. Makes 4 tablespoons.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

1,312 user ratings

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Comments

Richard1 year ago

I make something similar to this. Rather than using xawaash, I simply add pepper, cumin, coriander, and turmeric toward the end of the vegetable saute, and saute the spices with the vegetables a bit before adding tomatoes (canned and a bit more than in this recipe). Giving it a somewhat more Indian flavor, I also add a knob of peeled grated ginger. An immersion blender makes the blending task easy (just be careful with hot soup). Also I usually add a small diced peeled potato.

Stacy1 year ago

Re: quantity of spice mix got you feeling the feelings? I made half the amount as described in the ‘tip’ and just used all that it made. Increased the lentils by 1/4c and increased the liquid by 1 c and it turned out great. This was still a reasonable amount for 4 servings. I loved this dish, by the way.

Cleo1 year ago

Love this recipe. I’m always fascinated by how recipes from around the Indian Ocean combine various spices reflecting thousands of years of trade and cultural interaction across the ocean. The flavors of this dish have so much in common with dishes from southern India.

Liz1 day ago

Made this twice: first time, thought I was being clever by adding more of all the vegetables to create bigger portions, and serving over cauliflower rice to keep it healthier. This backfired, making the dish too wet and bland. Second time, I used about twice as much xawaash, stayed truer to the amounts of vegetables, and served over long grain white rice instead. This makes small portions, but so much tastier! (Add more salt and pepper as desired.)

Dan1 month ago

based on comments (and being the dead of winter) I subbed a 15 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes for the Roma tomatoes. made a half recipe of spice mix and used it all. absolutely great! delicious and healthy.

Nick1 month ago

This was fine, but a bit underwhelming. Not markedly different from other lentil soups I’ve made. Maybe the exotic image invoked by Xawaash raised my expectations, but this soup really did not do much to tingle the senses. I probably won’t be making it again. Thanks anyway, cooking can be hit or miss and is a deeply personal endeavor, the point is you try something new and for this, I regret nothing!

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