Turkish Ezogelin Soup Recipe: Easy & Homemade

Ezogelin is a Turkish red lentil soup built on lentils, a little rice, and bulgur, finished with a mint-and-paprika butter poured over the top. You soften onion and garlic with tomato paste and paprika, simmer the lentils and rice until they melt into the stock, add the bulgur and mint, then drizzle the spiced butter at the table with lemon wedges.

Red lentil soups like this are the workhorse of the Turkish table. If you want more in the same vein, the Turkish soup recipes collection runs through the classics, and our guide to the best soup in Istanbul shows where to order them out. This recipe also sits inside the wider Turkish recipes hub.

Turkish Ezogelin Soup Recipe:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted clarified butter
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon red pepper
• 1 ½ cups red lentils
• ¼ cup rice
• 6 cups chicken stock or water
• ¼ cup bulgur
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• Salt and black pepper
• Lemon wedges

Topping

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Method

1. In a heavy medium-size saucepan, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook . gently for about 2 minutes, or until they’re softened but not brown. Stir in the tomato paste, chopped tomato, paprika, and pepper.
2. Add the lentils, rice, and stock. Cover the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked and the lentils have blended with the stock. Add the bulgur and mint, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another I0 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. If the soup is too thick, add a little water.
4. To make the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the mint and paprika, and stir the mixture until it sizzles. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and drizzle the butter mixture over each serving. Top with the croutons, if you’re using them. Serve at once with lemon wedges.

If you’d rather taste the real thing first, our Taste of Two Continents food tour starts with a Spice Market breakfast and crosses to Kadıköy by ferry. We’ve run food tours in Istanbul since 2013, hosting more than 50,000 guests at a 4.95 out of 5 rating from over 7,800 reviews, with no more than 10 people per group.