This is a creamy (without the cream!) soup, using health promoting ingredients such as turmeric, lemon rind, and ghee. Ghee is clarified butter, used commonly in Indian dishes, it is high in vitamins A and E, turmeric has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for stomach and liver ailments, and its active compound curcumin is bottled by many supplement manufacturers due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumour, antibacterial/viral properties. It looks like ginger, but thinner and brighter orange in colour. Making this soup action packed! In the ingredients you will see a variation of ingredients, that will allow you to be versatile, in case you don’t have an ingredient on hand.

Turmeric Lemon Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons ghee (use pure butter if you don’t have ghee or coconut oil if you can’t tolerate dairy)
• 2 medium onions (can use leeks) – sliced only (not diced)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 cup yellow split peas or mung beans
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili
• 6 cups of pure water
• 1 lemon (preferably homegrown)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder or fresh nodule
• 1 cup boiled brown basmati rice  (see below how to make)
• cracked pepper
• sea salt or Celtic salt
• 1/2 cup of fresh slivered mint leaves

 Instructions

1. Melt the ghee in a heavy-based soup pot and add the onions and saute over low heat until limp and translucent

2. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another few minutes

3. Next, add the washed and drained split peas or mung beans, add the cayenne or chilli, and saute briefly

4. Pour in the water and toss in 1/4 of the lemon (rind and all) and bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for thirty minutes (stir occasionally)

5. Add the turmeric and cook for another 5 minutes then blend with a handheld blender till smooth

6. Add salt, pepper, lemon to taste

7. Add the boiled rice and serve with a garnish of mint (add extra lemon, salt, pepper if needed)

QUICK BOILED RICE

Take 1/2 cup of basmati rice and add 1 cup of water in a small pot, with the lid on bring to the boil, once boiled turn the heat off and leave to cook in the steam for half an hour (do not remove lid at any time until after the half hour otherwise you will lose the steam).

TIP

This is such a beautiful warm soup and a nice change from the traditional pumpkin or veggie soups, the key with this one is to add enough lemon, kids won’t even know there are split peas or mung beans in it because it is blended. So it presents as a lemon soup with rice. It is great the next day too 🙂