Warm up your guests on a chilly evening with this spicy Moroccan soup.

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

• 30ml olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 5ml ground coriander
• 10ml ground cumin
• 2-5ml ground crushed chillies
• 500g sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 500g carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1,5 litres chicken stock
• 125ml red lentils
• 15ml lemon juice
• fresh chillies, for garnishing

1 Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for three minutes. Stir in the dried spices and chillies. Cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the sweet potato and carrots. Fry for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

2 Add the chicken stock and the red lentils. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.

3 Blend the mixture in a liquidiser until smooth. Reheat and serve sprinkled with chopped fresh chillies, if you prefer.