Red lentils: cook for a soft, thick soup

How much water does a soup need?

Our carrot and red lentil soup starts with 160 g of dry red lentils, 600 g of carrots weighed before peeling and 1.2 l of water for 4 servings, with adjustments as needed. That water cooks all the ingredients and gives the soup its consistency; it is not just for the lentils.

This is not a ratio for every soup or for lentils cooked on their own. The other ingredients, evaporation and the consistency you want matter too. Start with the quantities in your chosen recipe, then watch the bottom of the pan: saucepans cannot read ratios.

Before heating, weigh the lentils dry, inspect them, rinse in a fine sieve and leave to drain. Red lentils generally do not need soaking; follow the instructions on the packet. Keep a little water handy so you can adjust without leaving the pan.

Watch the bottom as well as the surface

Maintain a simmer and stir gently right across the bottom with a spoon suitable for the pan. If the mixture thickens before the carrots are tender, add a little water and continue. Strong heat is not needed for this cooking.

Wait until the ingredients are cooked before settling the final thickness. Blend if the recipe calls for it, then adjust the consistency. Taste again after diluting: water loosens the mixture but reduces the saltiness too.

Changing pulses takes an adjustment

Green lentils may hold their shape differently and need a different cooking time. Already-cooked chickpeas have a hydrated weight. Neither is a like-for-like substitute for red lentils; liquid and time need to be adjustable separately.

To change the number of servings, open the soup recipe linked above and use its quantity control. The ingredients scale to the new serving count; you still need to check the cooking time and pan size.