Turkish Lentil Soup

Turkish Lentil Soup
1 cup split orange lentil /masur dal
3 tsp olive oil
1 medium size onion chopped fine
3 small to medium size carrots cut in circles
6 cloves garlic
3 small red peppers
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red chilli powder/chilli flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp dried parsely/mint
3 tbsp of tomato paste/puree
1 lemon juice
1 tsp italian herb
1/4-1/2 tsp dried parsely
salt to taste
4-5 cups of water

Method
Use split masur dal /orange lentil
Wash and soak the split orange lentil/masur dal for 1/2 hr
Take a pan add 1-2 tsp olive oil and warm the oil a little
Add the finely chopped onion
Saute till onion becomes translucent
Next add the cut carrots
Stir fry for few minutes
Then add the cloves of garlic
Stir fry for few minutes
Then add the red peppers ,black pepper powder ,red chilli powder/chilli flakes, cumin powder , tomato paste /puree ,lemon juice, italian herb and salt to taste
Stir fry for 2 minutes
Can add few tbsp of water if the spices start catching at the bottom .
Stir fry for few minutes
Then add the washed and soaked lentil
Mix well and stir fry for few minutes
Add the dried parsley
Mix it in
Add the water
More water can be added depending on consistency preference
Pressure cook it ,place the lid and cook on full flame/heat to the start of a whistle .
Remove from flame/stove and let it open naturally .
When the lid opens naturally, mix lentil throughly
When the lentil cools down add to a grinder ,leaving a little bit of the lentil in the cooker .
Grind to a smooth paste
Then add to the remaining lentil in the cooker pan
Mix it in and add lemon juice
Done
Serve with garnishing of chilli oil

Chilli Oil
To make chilli oil ,add 1 tsp of olive oil to a pan when the oil becomes warm add 1/2 tsp chilli powder/paprika to it Stir for 30-40 seconds.
Done remove from stove and keep aside