AI-generated image
Fakes
Lentil soup
Brown lentil soup with a splash of vinegar (φακές)
Fakes (say 'fah-KES') is the weekday soup of Greek homes, often made on a Wednesday or Friday, the traditional fasting days. Small brown lentils are simmered with onion, garlic, carrot, tomato and bay until thick and soft, then brightened at the table with red wine vinegar. It is cheap, filling and ready in well under an hour. Greeks eat it with olives, a wedge of feta for those who eat dairy, raw onion and bread. Chef's tip: add the vinegar off the heat just before eating, not while it cooks; boiling it is the usual mistake and flattens the sharp lift it is meant to give.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz small brown or green lentilsrinsed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 carrotdiced
- 3 cloves garlicsliced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1.2 litres water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegarplus extra at the table
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz small brown or green lentils in a pot, cover with water, bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Drain; this removes the dusty, bitter taste.
5 minStep 2: Warm ¼ cup olive oil in the pot over a medium heat. Cook 1 onion and 1 carrot for 6 minutes, until soft, then add 3 cloves garlic and 2 tbsp tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
7 minStep 3: Add the lentils, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1.2 litres water. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for 25–30 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the soup has thickened to a loose stew.
28 minStep 4: Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Take the pot off the heat, remove the bay leaves and stir in 2 tbsp red wine vinegar. Taste and add more vinegar if you like it sharper.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fakes take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
BabboucheSpiced snail broth
After dark in Marrakech's great square, the babbouche stalls are recognisable by their steaming cauldrons and the toothpicks laid out by every bowl. Small land snails simmer in a dark broth of liquorice root, aniseed, thyme, caraway, bitter orange peel, chilli and a bundle of herbs that sellers say has fifteen ingredients, believed to soothe the stomach and warm you on a cold night. You pick the snails out with a toothpick, then drink the peppery, herbal, faintly sweet broth. At home, buy live snails sold for cooking, already purged by a reputable seller, discard any with broken shells or that do not move or retract when touched, and cook them through for at least 45 minutes. Chef's tip: keep the spices in a muslin bag; the broth stays clear and you avoid crunching on seeds.
Moroccan