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Bhutanese Lentil Soup
Vegetarian | Contains Egg | Dairy-Free | Gluten-Free
Our guide Mrs TP was a vegetarian for a decade. Like many Bhutanese, she ate little meat and became fully devoted to a meatless diet for those ten years. “If it hurts when we get pricked, what more the animals we consume?” she shared, a little saddened. That decade, she subsisted on a diet of mainly red rice and chilli cheese, even during the most hectic of work days. This incredibly capable mother of two is one of the rare 11-12 active female guides in Bhutan and does some 40-45 trips a year! She was advised to go back to taking some occasional meat due to hair loss from protein deficiency but even then, she remained a firm advocate of a meat-free diet.
After a very healthy meal at a farmhouse, I learned from her how to make a Bhutanese lentil soup! I was souper impressed by how the humblest of ingredients can produce such a hearty soup! In this rendition, I’ve added chickpeas and my favourite Quorn mycoprotein for a boost of nutrients. This SouperChef Special will satisfy, that I’m mighty sure!
Ingredients: Vegetable stock (water, carrots, onions, leeks, herbs), yellow lentils, Quorn mycoprotein (contains egg white), potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, onions, ginger, garlic, coriander, salt
Condiments: Zaw (roasted rice), coriander, chilli flakes