Make your own Turkish lentil soup

Throughout Ramadan, CBC Radio's All In A Day is sharing iftar dishes — the plates served to break the daily fast — along with traditions from local restaurants.

This week, Fatima Omar of Pita Bell Kabab on Carling Avenue shared their recipe for Turkish lentil soup, a dish her family serves just about every night during Ramadan.

Turkish Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 litres of water                                
• 3 cups lentils           
• ½ cup rice             
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. salt                   
• 1 tbsp. mint
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp. crushed red peppers
• 1 tbsp. pepper paste 
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 onions

Directions: Start off by bringing the water to a boil in a large pot. Wash the rice and add it to the water. As it starts to boil, add the lentils and let them cook until soft. Then, add the pepper paste and salt. In a separate pan, fry the onions and garlic until they're lightly browned. Add the mint, the black pepper, and the crushed red pepper into the onion mixture and fry for two more minutes. Add the onion mixture to the pot. Cook everything for 10 minutes and then blend it all together. Serves eight people.