Spiced Chickpea Broth

This is a delicious soup as it can be as strongly or as mildly spiced as you wish. It is important to use a good quality stock in this soup. Made a little thicker this spiced chickpea mixture is nice served with plain boiled basmati rice.

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion-chopped

1 inch root ginger-chopped

1 red chilli-finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic-crushed

2 sticks of celery

1 leek

4oz/110g red lentils

2lb/900g tinned chickpeas (2 cans)

½ teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 pints/1.2 litres chicken stock

2 dessertspoons of chopped coriander

Juice of 2 limes

METHOD

Drain the chickpeas and rinse with cold water.

Chop the leek, onion and celery into small bite size pieces.

In a large pot heat a little sunflower oil and add to it the lentils, diced leek, celery, onion, ginger, garlic and red chilli. Cook the mixture over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables have begun to soften.

Next add in the chickpeas, followed by the turmeric and cumin and allow these spices to infuse with the vegetables for a further 5-6 minutes on a gentle heat.

Pour in the chopped tomatoes and the chicken stock and bring the entire mixture to a boil.

Simmer gently until all of the vegetables are tender.

Season with a little salt and pepper and the juice of the two limes and finally add in the freshly chopped coriander.

Garnish with a little natural yoghurt and flat leaf parsley.

Serve piping hot with very crusty bread.