Wonderful Iraqi Shorba (Soup) (Gluten Free)

Ingredients

• 1 medium cooking onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 whole dried lime, pierced once with a skewer (loomi, Not optional! It gives it's distinctive taste to this soup)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 medium yellow potato, diced
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (I use my own homemade)
• 1/4 cup red lentil
• 1/4 cup rice vermicelli, broken up
• 1 lemon, a fresh squeeze for each serving (optional but delicious)

Directions

1. 1

   Fry onions in olive oil over medium heat until they are transparent.

2. 2

   Add pierced whole loomi, carrot and potato dice and cook for a further 7 minutes.

3. 3

   Add garlic, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ground cumin.

4. 4

   Add the tomato, tomato paste, chicken stock & cilantro.

5. 5

   Cook until vegetables are almost tender, add red lentils and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Adjust salt to taste.

7. 7

   Add broken up vermicelli noodles and cook until done (not mushy).

8. 8

   Squeeze the lemon into the soup or on individual servings.

9. 9

   Enjoy!