Lentil and Wild Rice Soup

It’s not Japanese, but who doesn’t love lentil soup? This bold tasting soup is made with lentils and wild rice and loaded with veggies. It is perfectly spiced with cumin and black pepper, plus a little ground savory. It’s loaded with fiber and protein and your family will love it.

Rice Soup

In Japan it’s not always easy to find lentil or wild rice. You can order them from Amazon or buy them at specialty grocery stores. As a result, many people here have never tried lentils or wild rice. But this soup is a hit whenever I make it, Kale is available in Japan, but sometimes hard to come by. You can substitute black spinach or Japanese Mizuna leaf. Of course, in the US all of these ingredients are readily available.

Lentil and Wild recipe soup is a favorite of mine. Unlike mulligatawny, this lentil soup is also loaded with plenty of vegetables to add bulk and flavor. And if you are watching your diet, a bowl this healthy soup is only 252 calories and contains around 16 grams of protein and 4 1/2 grams of fiber. Like many of my recipes, this is a one pot dish that is very easy to make.

Lentil and Wild Rice Soup

You can use red or brown lentils for this soup. The wild black rice is delicious and adds additional fiber to each spoonful. I prefer to use kale, but if you use spinach go with wild dark spinach as opposed to light green baby spinach.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
15 mins	1 hour	Serves 8

PREP	15 mins
COOKING	1 hour
YIELD	Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 cup red or brown lentils
1/2 cup black rice
2 cups black spinach or kale
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
2 leeks
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP cumin powder
1/4 tsp savoy
1 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups chicken or vegetable consommé
1/2 lb chopped ham or bacon (optional)
cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

Wash lentil and rice in a colander. Set aside and drain for 5-10 minutes.

Wash and chop the kale or spinach; peel and chop the carrot, and dice the leeks and celery

In a large stockpot, sauté the lentils and black rice for 3 minutes in the olive oil over medium heat.
Add in the sea salt and continue to sauté for 1 mote minute.

Turn up the heat to medium high. Add in the carrots, celery, leek and sauté for 2 minutes stirring constantly.

Add consommé and bring to a boil over med high heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the pepper, cumin, and savoy.

If using ham or bacon, stir in as well.

Fold in the the chopped spinach, mix gently until the spinach is submerged, and then return to a boil,

Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Notes:

This soup is wonderful if refrigerated and reheated, but it will continue to thicken in the refrigerator. Add additional consommé when reheating to make sure you have plenty of delicious soup.
Make a vegan version of the soup by omitting the meat and using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. You can add garbanzo beans instead of the meat for an extra hearty soup.
Black rice, also known as wild rice, is not really rice. It’s a grain that grows in rivers in North America. It is traditionally harvested by canoe- the plant is tapped with a stick and the grains fall into the boat.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

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Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.