Imad Alarnab shares recipes for red lentil soup and chickpea stew

Imad Alarnab, founder of Imad’s Syrian Kitchen and Aram in London, presents two Syrian comfort-food recipes: a creamy red lentil soup finished with dukkah oil, and mnazaleh, a Levantine chickpea stew with aubergine and tahini. The red lentil soup is described as warm, silky and deeply satisfying: the lentils cook down into a smooth, golden blend, their sweetness enriched by sautéed onion, garlic and spices.

The recipe includes a dukkah oil made by dry-toasting coriander seeds, cumin seeds and urfa chilli, adding lemon zest, pulsing coarsely in a blender, then heating briefly in oil and leaving to cool. The soup recipe (prep 15 min, cook 1 hr 5 min, serves 4–6) directs you to sauté onion and carrot, add garlic, tomato paste and spices for 10 minutes, tip in 250g dried red lentils, cover with 1.2 litres water and simmer for 30 minutes, then blend and top with the dukkah oil; it is served with crusty bread and a squeeze of lemon.

Mnazaleh is presented as a nourishing, rustic stew in which tender chickpeas simmer in a tomato base until mellow and the sauce thickens, then fried aubergine is stirred in and the dish is finished with chopped parsley and a drizzle of tahini.

Key Topics

Culture, Imad Alarnab, Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, Aram, London, Mnazaleh