Lentil and Rice Soup (Shorbat Adas wa Ruz)

Name: Lentil and Rice Soup (Shorbat Adas wa Ruz)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 2 min
Total time: 1 h 17 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling, optional; 2 medium (about 12 oz total) (340 g) yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped (¼-inch / 6 mm pieces); 1 large (120 g) carrot, peeled and finely diced; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced; 2 tsp (4 g) ground cumin; 1 tsp (2 g) ground coriander; ½ tsp (1 g) ground turmeric; 1 cup (200 g) brown lentils, picked over and rinsed; ½ cup (100 g) long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 6 cups (1420 ml) vegetable or chicken broth, low-sodium, hot; 2 cups (480 ml) water, hot, plus more as needed; 1 leaf (1 g) bay leaf; 1 tsp, plus more to taste (5 g) kosher salt; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 large (about 3.5 oz) (100 g) lemon, half juiced (about 2 tbsp / 30 ml), half cut into 6 wedges for serving; ¼ cup (12 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes, for sprinkling, to taste (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A humble, deeply comforting Middle Eastern soup of brown lentils and rice simmered with soft onion, carrot, cumin and garlic, then finished with lemon. Thick, earthy and bright, it comes together in one pot with pantry staples.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1 hr 2 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 1 hr 22 min
Makes: About 2.5 quarts (2.4 liters), 6 generous bowls

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Ingredients

6 servings

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling, optional
2 medium (about 12 oz total) (340 g) yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped (¼-inch / 6 mm pieces)
1 large (120 g) carrot, peeled and finely diced
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (4 g) ground cumin
1 tsp (2 g) ground coriander
½ tsp (1 g) ground turmeric
1 cup (200 g) brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
½ cup (100 g) long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
6 cups (1420 ml) vegetable or chicken broth, low-sodium, hot
2 cups (480 ml) water, hot, plus more as needed
1 leaf (1 g) bay leaf
1 tsp, plus more to taste (5 g) kosher salt
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 large (about 3.5 oz) (100 g) lemon, half juiced (about 2 tbsp / 30 ml), half cut into 6 wedges for serving
¼ cup (12 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes, for sprinkling, to taste (optional)

Equipment (6)

5- to 6-quart (4.7–5.7 L) heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with lid
Wooden spoon
Fine-mesh sieve
Chef's knife and cutting board
Ladle
Immersion blender (optional)

Steps

Before you start

Pick through the lentils for small stones or debris, then rinse well in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs mostly clear.
Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water for about 30 seconds to remove surface starch.
Have the broth and water hot (heat in a second pot or microwave); adding cold liquid slows the return to a simmer.
Soup thickens as it stands, so keep an extra cup (240 ml) of hot water nearby for adjusting at the end.

1
Soften the onions
- Set the pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- When it shimmers, add the chopped onions and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 10–12 minutes.
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Ready when: Onions are soft, translucent and golden at the edges, with a sweet smell.
Tip: Do not rush with high heat; scorched onions turn the soup bitter.
2
Add carrot and garlic
- Stir in the diced carrot and cook for 3 minutes, until it begins to soften.
- Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.
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Ready when: Garlic is fragrant but not browned.
Tip: Add the garlic last so it does not burn.
3
Toast the spices
- Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and black pepper.
- Stir for 30–45 seconds so the spices coat the vegetables and bloom in the oil.
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Ready when: The spices smell strongly toasty and the vegetables turn deep golden-yellow.
Tip: If the pot looks dry or the spices stick, splash in 2 tablespoons of broth.
4
Add lentils and liquid
- Add the rinsed lentils and stir for 1 minute to coat in the spiced oil.
- Pour in the hot broth and hot water, add the bay leaf, and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Liquid is at a steady rolling boil; skim off any foam that rises.
5
Simmer the lentils
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.
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Ready when: Lentils are just beginning to soften but still hold a firm center.
Tip: Keep the simmer gentle; hard boiling can split the lentils unevenly.
6
Add the rice
- Stir in the rinsed rice and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
- Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom so the rice does not stick.
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Ready when: Lentils are completely tender and mashable, rice grains are soft and slightly swollen, and the soup is thick like a loose porridge.
Tip: Rice absorbs a lot of liquid. If the soup becomes too thick, add hot water ½ cup (120 ml) at a time.
7
Partially blend (optional)
- Remove the bay leaf and discard it.
- For a creamier body, pulse the soup with an immersion blender 4–5 times, leaving plenty of whole lentils and rice grains.
- Or skip the blender and mash a few ladlefuls against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon.
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Ready when: Soup looks silky with visible texture remaining.
Tip: Do not blend fully; the soup should stay rustic, not puréed.
8
Finish with lemon
- Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the lemon juice from half the lemon and half of the parsley.
- Taste and add more salt, about ¼ teaspoon at a time, until the flavors are bright.
- Thin with up to 1 cup (240 ml) hot water if needed to reach a spoonable, stew-like consistency.
- Cover and rest off the heat for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Soup tastes savory with a clear lemony lift.
Tip: Add lemon at the end; acid earlier can keep lentils from softening.
9
Serve
- Ladle into warm bowls.
- Top with the remaining parsley, a drizzle of olive oil if you like, and a pinch of Aleppo pepper.
- Serve with a lemon wedge on each bowl.

Good to know

Tips

Rinse the lentils and rice well; it keeps the broth clean-tasting and the rice from turning gluey.
Salt in two stages, then adjust at the end, because broth saltiness varies a lot.
For a deeper, traditional flavor, fry a thinly sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until dark brown and crisp, and scatter over the bowls.
Always check the pot bottom when stirring; rice and lentils settle and can scorch.

Make ahead

Make the soup up to 3 days ahead through the rice step (before lemon and parsley). Reheat gently, thin with hot water, then finish with lemon and parsley.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 3 months (rice softens a bit). Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring often and adding ½–1 cup (120–240 ml) of water or broth, since it thickens considerably when cold.

Substitutions

brown lentils → green lentils. Same amount and timing; they hold their shape slightly better. Do not use red lentils, which dissolve and cook much faster.
long-grain white rice → short-grain rice or bulgur. Short-grain rice gives a creamier soup at the same timing; coarse bulgur (¼ cup / 45 g) cooks in about 15 minutes.
vegetable or chicken broth → water plus 1 extra tsp salt. Use 8 cups (1.9 L) water total; flavor will be lighter, so season carefully at the end.
lemon → red wine vinegar. Use 1 tablespoon in place of the lemon juice, adding more to taste.