Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is a ramadhan staple. There are many versions of this soup throughout the arab world, but my mothers version, which is the egyptian style is my favorite. Don't omit the cumin. Lentils have the tendancy to be really heavy on the stomach (yinfa'7 il ba6in as we say in Bahrain) and the cumin helps prevent that from happening

• 1 cup of split shelled yellow lentils (it is essential to use the split shelled type)
• 1/4 cup of rice (this is my mothers secret addition. It makes the soup much smoother)
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil lentils and rice in salted water until both are soft. Add cumin. The amount of water you want to boil it in depends on how thick you want the soup to be. I suggest using around 2/3 of a pot of water and adding more water if you later feel the soup is too thick
2. Meanwhile, fry the chopped onions in butter until soft and golden
3. Add onions to lentils and rice mixture
4. Blend in blender and season with salt and pepper. Add more water if you feel that its too thick
5. Pour soup back in pot and heat again for another 5 minutes stirring consistently