Balkh Lentil Soup

From OSR

This recipe is from Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey, by Najmieh Batmanglij.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 large onions, sliced or chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1/2 pound butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into cubes (or spiced butternut puree made for butternut squash soup)

8 cups water

2 cups lentils (the recipe calls for brown, but I use whatever I have on hand)

fresh chili peppers to taste (serrano preferred, or cayenne powder)

1 tablespoon angelica powder (or substitute with a star anise. Angelica is licorice-flavored like star anise)

2/3 cup Seville orange juice (substitute a mixture of orange and lime, or perhaps pomegranate juice. Seville oranges are super-tart oranges. Don't use lemon, lime is closer and the flavor holds up to cooking better.)

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt to taste

Directions

Heat the cumin seeds in oil until they sputter. Add the onions, garlic, chilies and squash cubes (but not the puree if that's what you're using) and saute for 10 minutes.

Add the lentils, water, Seville orange juice or substitute (and the puree now, if you're using it), and either the angelica powder or star anise, whichever you're using, and simmer it until the lentils are done.

Sprinkle with parsley before serving. And don't forget to fish out the star anise!

Variations

Fry the parsley in the oil with the cumin at the beginning, and leave it in to cook for the whole time. This is a Persian trick for cooking with parsley. I also like to add some quick-cooking greens like chard or spinach at the end.