Flat rimmed bowl full of ezo gelin soup with chopped salad topping.

Ezo Gelin Soup! Gluten Free & Vegan

Ezo Gelin Soup! Gluten Free & Vegan

What is Ezo Gelin I hear you ask? It’s a Turkish lentil based soup named after a bride called Ezo! The story says that Ezo’s mother-in-law did not like her, so to try to win her over, Ezo made this soup! The soup is now famous all over Turkey and is eaten at anytime – including breakfast! This is #NationalBreakfastWeek (24-30 Jan) so why not try something different! 😛 Of course, this is Life Diet Health so we have changed the recipe to make it gluten free- traditionally it contains Bulghur wheat, but the protein & mineral packed quinoa makes an ideal substitute!  It’s a very filling soup, hearty, warming and with a hint of mint! I served this for our ladies that lunch the other day and one of my friends has already recreated this for her family! 🙂 Let’s get cooking!

I’m sharing this with Deborah at the Plant Based Potluck Party 🙂

 

Ezo Gelin Soup

Turkish lentil soup.

Course: main, starter
Cuisine: Turkish
Keyword: lentils,, soup
Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth
Gather
  • Splash of oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 400 g split red lentils
  • 200 g quinoa rinsed and drained ( I used tri-colour but any is fine)
  • 1 litre cold water
  • 70 g tomato puree
  • 1.5 litres boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 1 tablespoon mint (plus extra for decoration)
  • 1 tablespoon (or to taste) salt (I used pink Himalayan)
Prepare
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until translucent, add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

  2. Stir in the lentils and quinoa and mix well.

  3. Add the cold water, cover the pan and leave on a medium heat for 15 minutes.

  4. Put the tomato puree into the boiling water and mix until you have a uniform liquid. Carefully pour this into the lentil mix.

  5. Sprinkle over the pepper, mint and salt, cover and leave for ten minutes.

  6. Check the soup, stir well, adjust seasoning if necessary. The lentils should have cooked down and the quinoa should have its tail (germ) showing.

  7. Enjoy!

Serve & Store

  • We were having a girly lunch (others were non vegan/non free-from) so this was served with garlic bread and chunky pizza wedges.
  • I made a basic shepherds salad (also a Turkish recipe) and we piled it on top of the soup!
  • Chili flakes are great sprinkled on top, as is black pepper or extra mint.
  • Scoop it up with your favourite bread 🙂
  • Store covered in the fridge for up to five days or freeze for up to two months.

24 Comments

  • Elaine @ foodbod 27th January 2016 at 19:21

    I love the story behind this soup, and it looks very tasty 🙂

    Reply
    • Life Diet Health 27th January 2016 at 20:31

      Hello Elaine 🙂 Thank you! I know you don’t do soup so I’m thrilled that you think it looks tasty! 🙂 x

      Reply
  • peanutbutterandellie 27th January 2016 at 21:46

    I’d never heard of Ezo Gelin until now- what a fun story! I wish all recipes had a background like that.
    It looks delicious! I don’t know if I’d ever have it for breakfast though. 😉 Definitely for lunch or dinner!
    xx Ellie

    Reply
    • Life Diet Health 27th January 2016 at 22:22

      Ellie 🙂 Thank you! Isn’t it fun to have a story behind a food? 🙂 If not for breakfast how about brunch? 😛 xxx

      Reply
      • peanutbutterandellie 27th January 2016 at 23:22

        It is fun to have a story behind food! It makes it even more appealing.
        I suppose brunch could work, ahaha. I’m much more of a “sweets for breakfast” kind of gal, though!

        Reply
        • Life Diet Health 27th January 2016 at 23:50

          Banana based pancakes with nut butter and chocolate then 😀 nomnom! Ooo… I might do that in the morning! Bedtime for me now! x

          Reply
          • peanutbutterandellie 28th January 2016 at 00:19

            Oh YUM! That sounds like a breakfast for this weekend for me! 😛

          • Life Diet Health 28th January 2016 at 09:48

            🙂 x

  • Sophie33 28th January 2016 at 19:55

    Such a cool story behind this tasty looking more healthy soup,….I,also like your special topping! NOM nom nom!.

    Reply
    • Life Diet Health 28th January 2016 at 21:47

      Nom nom nom indeed Sophie! Thank you. This is a delicious recipe – possibly preferred to my regular lentil soup! 🙂 Don’t you just love soup toppings! 🙂 Would you believe I’d eaten this soup probably over 30 times (in Turkey) before I learnt of the story!?!

      Reply
      • Sophie33 29th January 2016 at 08:34

        Really? It must be THAT DELICIOUS! x

        Reply
        • Life Diet Health 29th January 2016 at 09:29

          Yes Sophie… this is a REALLY delicious soup! Even better with the Life Diet Health touch! 😛 x

          Reply
  • Lynz Real Cooking 31st January 2016 at 00:09

    Love the story and soup!

    Reply
    • Life Diet Health 31st January 2016 at 12:33

      Thank you 🙂 If you try the soup you’ll love it even more! 😀

      Reply
      • Lynz Real Cooking 31st January 2016 at 13:09

        Sounds very nice! I love those stories and have heard many as well! Wonderful post!

        Reply
  • Deborah Smikle-Davis 4th February 2016 at 02:01

    Soups are some of my favorite dishes to make and eat! Thanks for sharing your delectable Ezo Gelin Soup at the Plant-Based Potluck Party! I’m Pinning and sharing!

    Reply
    • Life Diet Health 4th February 2016 at 16:22

      Thanks Deborah 🙂 This is such a delicious & nutritious soup! Thanks so much for hosting such a delicious feast each week! 🙂

      Reply
  • CakePants 10th July 2019 at 00:55

    Wow, this looks so flavorful and satisfying! I eat a lot of lentils and quinoa, so I’m always on the lookout for recipes that put a new spin on these staple ingredients. Looking forward to trying this!

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 10th July 2019 at 21:39

      Thanks. This is a great recipe! Tag me in a photo if you make it! 🙂

      Reply

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