ست زبقي
Traditional Damascene lentil & noodle soup bursting with onion, garlic, lemon and cilantro flavour.
Many Middle Eastern countries enjoy some variation of this soup that combines lentils, noodles and lemon. The Lebanese call it rishta or addas bil hamod. In my small town in Syria, we call it rishtayeh, but it's better known across Syria by its Damascene name, Sit Zbiqi.
Who is Sit Zbiqi, you ask? No clue.
Let's get to the ingredients!
The ingredients
In Hindi, rishta means relationship, a fitting word to describe the harmonious flavours of this soup. Lentils, noodles, cilantro, lemon, onion and garlic come together to create a filling, nutritious and delicious meal that satisfies the tastebuds of adults and children alike.
I grew up eating this soup with egg noodles, but many Damascene families enjoy it with macaroni or even fresh pasta. You can use whatever pasta you have on hand.
Some cooks use spinach or Swiss chard in place of the cilantro. No matter what other leafy green you decide to add, I strongly recommend keeping the cilantro because its citrusy and peppery flavour adds zest to the earthy lentils and bland noodles.
What type of lentil can I use?
For this recipe, I recommend sticking to brown or green lentils which both hold their shape nicely but also have a mushy texture suitable for soups. You can get away with using French lentils (puy lentils) as they are firm, but their lack of mushiness makes them ideal for salads instead of soups/stews. Because they are thick-skinned, French lentils can take up to 50 minutes to cook.
I don't recommend using red lentils at all as they break down within 20 minutes and turn mushy. Red lentils are more suitable for making curries, dal, and my amazing Syrian lentil soup or lentil and meat soup.
Sit Zbiqi/Rishtayeh - Syrian Lentil & Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup egg noodles or macaroni
- Juice of one lemon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch cilantro
Instructions
- In a pot, bring lentils and water to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté onion in oil until softened. Add 3 cups water, lentils, noodles, and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and turn off heat.
- In a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add cilantro and sauté for 2 minutes. Toss sauteed cilantro into the soup and stir. Serve warm with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
ست زبقي
المكونات
- 1 كوب عدس بني
- 1 بصلة مقطعة مكعبات
- 1 كوب نودلز بيض أو معكرونة
- عصير ليمونة
- ملح
- 5 فصوص ثوم
- 1 حفنة من الكزبرة
التعليمات
- في قدر على النار، يُغلى العدس والماء ثم تخفض درجة الحرارة ويترك على نار هادئة لمدة 20 دقيقة ثم يصفى.
- في نفس القدر، يقلي البصل في الزيت حتى يذبل ثم يضاف 3 أكواب من الماء، والعدس، والمعكرونة، والملح. يترك على النار لمدة 15 دقيقة. نضيف عصير الليمون ثم نطفئ النار.
- في مقلاة، يقلب الثوم في زيت الزيتون لمدة دقيقتين، ثم تضاف الكزبرة وتقلب هي الأخرى لمدة دقيقتين. تضاف إلى الحساء وتقلب. تقدم دافئة مع شرائح الليمون.
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