Balinese green lentil soup "Legian"

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 150 g lentils, green, dried
• 500 g water
• 200 g tomatoes, fully ripe
• 100 g papaya (pulp)
• 8 g instant chicken broth
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper from the mill
• 150 g potatoes
• 80 g carrot(s)
• 1 Pepper, red, long, mild
• 2 small chili peppers, green
• 1 m.-large onion(s), brown
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 6 cloves
• 8 cm cinnamon stick(s)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 pinch of sage
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce, light, superior
• 1 tbsp honey, dark
• 1 tbsp black vinegar, Chinese
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• n. B. Salt and pepper, black from the mill
• e.g. celery leaves
• n. B. fried onions
• n. B. almond sticks
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

A very special lentil soup with papaya and vegetables, a feast for the palate.

Weigh and wash the green lentils. If the washing water is noticeably cloudy, continue this process until the cloudiness disappears. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, quarter them lengthwise, remove the white-green core, halve them crosswise, and set aside. Take 100g of the flesh from a fresh, ripe papaya, chop them up, and set aside. Place all the ingredients for the broth, from tomatoes to pepper, along with 100g of the water, in a blender and puree for 1 minute at full speed. Place the puree and the remaining water in a 3-liter Dutch oven (with a lid), bring to a simmer, and add the lentils and all the spices. Simmer with the lid on until the lentils are tender but still have a bite. Peel and wash the potatoes, quarter them lengthwise and crosswise, and add them to the lentils. Trim both ends of the carrot, peel, and wash, quarter lengthwise, cut crosswise into approximately 6 mm thick slices, and add to the lentils. Wash the bell peppers, remove the stems, halve lengthwise, and deseed them. Cut the empty halves into thirds lengthwise, cut crosswise into approximately 3 cm wide pieces, and add these to the lentils. Wash the small green chilies and slice them crosswise into thin rings. Add these, seeds included, to the lentils, discarding the stems. Trim both ends of the onion and garlic, peel them, and chop them into approximately 6 mm pieces. Heat a medium-sized pan, add the oil, let it heat, and then add the onion pieces. When the onion pieces begin to brown, add the garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Deglaze with 1 cup of the lentil stock and add to the lentils. Season to taste and remove the cinnamon stick. When the lentils and potatoes are cooked, divide the soup between serving plates, garnish and serve with warm baguette.