Red lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup slow cooker recipe

Red lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup recipe from 'Healthy Slow Cooker' (2004) by Ross Dobson, published by Murdoch Books. Photo / Jeremy Simons

This simple soup is gluten-free, vegan and full of vibrant flavour.

Lime (or mango) pickle is one of the tastiest things to have on hand. Not only is it a spicy and sweet condiment to serve with curries, it’s pretty good with crackers and cheddar too! And a few tablespoons of chopped lime pickle stirred through a soup really make it dance with zesty flavour.

Red lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup

Serves 4

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking time about 4 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups (305 g) split red lentils
• 6 cups (1.5 litres) salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp chopped Indian lime pickle
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• Handful mint leaves
• Handful dill sprigs

Method

1. Heat your slow cooker to High.
2. Combine the lentils, stock and lime pickle in the bowl of the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 2 hours.
3. Working quickly to avoid losing too much heat, stir through the pumpkin and season generously with salt. Cover and cook for a further 2 hours, until both the lentils and pumpkin are soft. Turn the slow cooker down to Low and keep covered.
4. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, until golden. Stir in the cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute, until the cumin pops and sizzles. Tip the spicy onions into the soup and stir through, along with the chopped tomato. Add pepper to taste – and a little more salt, if needed.
5. Serve the soup in small bowls, garnished with the herbs.

Healthy Slow Cooker by Ross Dobson published by Murdoch Books offers a variety of recipes, from soups to Saturday night specials. Photo / Jeremy Simons

From Healthy Slow Cooker by Ross Dobson, $42.99, published by Murdoch Books.