Shorbat Adas: A Lebanese Lentil Soup Recipe for Iftar
When the Maghrib call sounds and the Ramadan fast is broken, the table usually begins gently: dates, water — and then soup. Across Lebanon and the wider Levant, that soup is very often shorbat adas, a golden bowl of red lentils cooked down with onion, carrot and cumin until they become something between a soup and a silk-smooth purée. It is the iftar opener par excellence: warm and hydrating after a day without food or drink, nourishing without sitting heavy, and kind to a stomach that has been empty since dawn.
Part of its genius is practical. Red lentils need no soaking and collapse into the broth in about half an hour, so the pot can be started before sunset and be ready exactly when it is needed — or made in the morning and reheated, since like most lentil soups it tastes even better the next day. For the days of Ramadan when the cook is also fasting, that matters. This version is made with water, as many Lebanese families make it: the flavour was always in the cumin and the slow-cooked onion, not in a stock pot.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) red lentils, rinsed well
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cups (1.4 litres) water, or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
- Toasted pita chips and lemon wedges, to serve (optional)
Method
- Finely dice the onion, grate the carrot, and crush the garlic.
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 4–5 minutes, until soft and translucent but not browned.
- Rinse the lentils thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clearer. Tip them into the pot with the onion, pour in the water, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils have softened and begun to fall apart.
- Stir in the grated carrot, the cumin, the salt and the white pepper, and simmer 10 minutes more, until the soup is thick and golden.
- For a smoother bowl, blend briefly with an immersion blender, leaving a little texture. Rest for a few minutes, scatter with parsley, and serve hot, with lemon wedges and toasted pita chips for those who want them.
Rule source: Qur'an 2:183–187 — the Ramadan fast is kept from dawn to sunset ('eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct… then complete the fast until nightfall'); iftar is the meal that breaks it at sunset. No ingredient restrictions apply beyond the standing halal rules; this soup is plant-based.
Notes
- Water or stock? The soup's home tradition uses chicken broth on ordinary days, but for a Ramadan recipe we default to water — the source's own vegan variation — which keeps the dish plant-based for every guest at the iftar table and loses almost nothing: the cumin carries it. Vegetable stock is the middle path.
- Texture is yours. Leave it rustic and unblended, or blend it smooth. Levantine tables differ; neither is wrong.
- Make it ahead. Cook it in the morning, refrigerate, and reheat gently at sunset, loosening with a splash of water — it thickens as it stands.
- The squeeze of lemon at the table is not decoration; it wakes the whole bowl up. Serve wedges alongside.
- Freezing. Freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight and reheat slowly.
Frequently asked questions
When is shorbat adas eaten during Ramadan?
At iftar, the sunset meal. The pattern on most tables is dates and water first, a pause for the Maghrib prayer, then soup — this one — before the main dishes.
Is this soup vegan?
Yes, as written with water or vegetable stock. It is also halal by construction: every ingredient is plant-based, with no pork or alcohol anywhere near it.
Do red lentils need to be soaked?
No. Just rinse them well. Red lentils are the fast cook's friend — they soften and break down in about 30 minutes, which is what gives the soup its body without any cream. ---
