Instant Pot Lentil Soup (Chinese Style)
Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a healthy one-pot vegan meal that will satisfy your hunger and craving for comfort food all at once! Learn how to use one Chinese ingredient to pack your soup with extra flavor and umami. {Vegan}
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Doubanjiang (*Footnote 1)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- Salt to taste (Optional)
Toppings (Optional)
- tomato , Chopped
- avocado , Chopped
- purple onion , Minced
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils with cold water and drain them. While rinsing, watch out and pick through your lentils to make sure there are no rocks or other debris (don’t be alarmed if there are, sometimes small rocks are overlooked during processing and packing).
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function. Once the screen shows “Hot”, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Saute until fragrant and starting to brown, around 2 minutes.
- Add the doubanjiang and cumin. Saute for another minute. If it looks dry, pour in a bit more oil or stock to prevent the ingredients from sticking or burning.
- Turn the saute function off. Pour in the crushed tomato, and scrape the bottom again to make sure all the brown bits are lifted (This is important, to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning after adding pressure). Add the vegetable stock and rinsed lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Seal the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is pointed to lock. Set to manual, high pressure, and the timer for 10 minutes for al dente lentils with soup, or for 12 minutes for a stew-like texture.
- After the cooking is done, use quick release on the lid or unseal the valve by switching the lock using a spatula (watch out for the steam coming out). Stir and taste the soup. Add the white pepper and salt (if needed), according to your own taste.
- You can top the soup with tomato, avocado, or onion if you wish. Serve hot as a side or main dish.
- Store the leftover soup in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- I used 3 tablespoons to create an intense savory and spicy taste. Use 2 tablespoons for a milder taste.
- To make this dish without an Instant Pot, use a 4-6 quart pot and follow the recipe and add 2 extra cups of water along with the vegetable broth in step 4. Then simmer the soup on the stove over medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils turn soft but are not falling apart.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 176kcal, Carbohydrates: 23.7g, Protein: 12.2g, Fat: 3.8g, Saturated Fat: 0.7g, Sodium: 661mg, Potassium: 541mg, Fiber: 10.6g, Sugar: 2g, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 3mg