Orange Red Lentil Soup with Coriander and Star Anise

One can never have too many soup recipes, especially during the heart of this very cold winter.

However, this isn’t your standard red lentil soup. Have I ever shared a standard recipe? Probably not.

The red lentils are infused with coriander and star anise, spiked with orange juice and a touch of fresh ginger gives you a bit of a bite. This split pea soup has also has ginger and coriander, but the orange and star anise were a refreshing twist. Flavours that seemed a tad unusual but worked very well.

Not as unusual as some of your chocolate suggestions, though. I am totally intrigued by Gabby’s homemade chocolate shampoo! I love reading them, so please keep them coming!

Red lentil soups shared here previously:

Creamy Red Lentil, Spinach and Lemon Soup

Cozy Red Lentil and Kale Soup

Red Lentil and Lemon Soup

Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Lime

Tomato Red Lentil Soup with Dill

I am sharing this with Souper Sundays.

Orange Red Lentil Soup with Coriander and Star Anise
Adapted from Dreena Burton’s Let Them Eat Vegan

1 tbsp coconut oil, or oil of choice
1 medium onion, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp whole coriander seeds, placed in a tea ball/bag
3 whole star anise, placed with coriander seeds in the tea ball/bag
2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed
5 cups water, or more to create your desired consistency
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp no-salt seasoning
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp orange zest (obtain this prior to juicing your oranges)
1.5 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Once hot, add onion and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until the vegetables are softened, around 7-8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add the coriander and star anise to a tea ball/bag )or something that allows it to infuse the soup and then remove). Add the tea ball, lentils, water, nutritional yeast, no-salt seasoning, orange juice and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and return to a simmer on low.Remove the tea ball after 15 minutes, or continue to infuse with additional flavour.  Continue to simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes (20-25 minutes in total) or until the lentils are cooked through.

3. Stir in the orange zest and ginger and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Remove the bay leaf. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Serves 6.