Rinse the red lentils in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear, then drain them. This step stops a greyish foam forming as they cook.
Recipes Starter · Aphrodisiac recipe
Indian-style pepper soup with red lentils.
A thick, golden soup, warmed with black pepper and softened with coconut milk, that you eat slowly, spoon by spoon, looking at each other.
Red lentil soup with black pepper and coconut milk, served for a dinner for two. AI-generated illustrations.
See in Photo Comic artThis Indian soup sets the pace for the evening: it comes to the table scalding hot in little bowls, so you have to blow on it, take your time, talk between spoonfuls. For a weeknight dinner for two, it's exactly the right format, filling without weighing you down.
Black pepper has a long reputation as a warming spice, credited for centuries with the power to wake up the body and raise the temperature, like the curry and garlic that keep it company here. Coconut milk does the opposite: it envelops, it soothes, it leaves a creamy texture on the tongue. That back-and-forth between the burn of the peppercorns and the softness of the coconut is the whole point of the recipe.
Serve it as a starter before a light main course, or on its own with warm naan bread and two glasses close at hand. What you're after isn't the heaviness of a feast but that slow, spreading warmth that lingers in the mouth and makes you want to carry on the evening somewhere other than the table.
That back-and-forth between the burn of the peppercorns and the softness of the coconut is the whole point of the recipe.
Method.
9 steps · 50 minutesPut the lentils in a saucepan with the 700 ml of water, the first chopped onion, the bay leaves, the black peppercorns and a small pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, skim if needed, then lower the heat and leave to simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, half covered.
Keep an eye on it towards the end: the lentils should collapse on their own under the spoon and form a thick purée. If the mixture starts to catch, add a little hot water. It should stay loose enough to coat the spoon, never dry.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the two chopped onions and let them soften for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until they turn translucent and then golden at the edges.
Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 more minute without letting it brown (burnt garlic makes the whole soup bitter). Then tip in the curry powder and stir for 30 to 40 seconds: the spices should sizzle in the oil and release their fragrance. This is where the flavour is built.
Fish the bay leaves out of the lentil pan, along with any peppercorns still whole enough to spot. Tip the contents of the frying pan into the lentils and stir well to spread the golden onions through.
Stir in the coconut milk in a thin stream with a wooden spoon (keep a little back for serving). Taste, salt lightly and give it two or three turns of the pepper mill: the soup should leave a gentle tingle at the end.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes over a low heat without letting the coconut milk boil. The surface should barely tremble as the soup thickens a little more and the flavours come together.
For a very velvety texture, give it a quick blitz with a stick blender. Otherwise, leave the soup rustic, with its pieces of onion. Serve piping hot in warmed bowls, with a swirl of coconut milk and a few coriander leaves.
Tips.
The Points G editors
Recipes proofread before publication. The virtues credited to foods owe more to tradition than to science: the pleasure of cooking for two is real enough. AI-generated illustrations.
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