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Spiced onion soup with barley and lentil

This Middle-Eastern style spiced onion soup with barley and lentil is an interesting version of French onion soup. It's very tasty, very filling and very healthy -  worth the long cooking time. Perfect for lazy weekends, served with flatbread, crusty rolls or goats-cheese crostini.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 6 people
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 50 g pearl barley
  • 500 g of onion
  • 1 ½ litres vegetable stock
  • 150 g Puy lentils
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • To serve: 2 onions 2 garlic cloves

Method
 

  1. Cook the pearl barley in 300 ml water for about 30 minutes, until tender.
  2. Meanwhile peel the onions and thinly slice them.
  3. When the water is completely absorbed, pour in the vegetable stock, add the onion, lentil and spices.
  4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 90 minutes under cover, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add more vegetable stock.
  5. In the meantime thinly slice the two onions for serving and wrap them in a paper towel to dry out. Leave them for half an hour.
  6. In a frying pan heat some oil and at low temperature gently fry the onion slices until golden. This will take about 15 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain them on paper towels and set aside.
  7. When the soup is cooked (i.e. the pearl barley and lentils are soft), season to taste with salt & pepper, then stir in the coriander and lemon juice.
  8. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the fried onion rings. Serve warm.