Name: Yellow Lentil Soup
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter, see Tips, below); 2 rounds pita bread, each cut into 9 wedges; 1 pound dried yellow lentils; 1 medium tomato, quartered and seeded; 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch slices; 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch slices; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 tablespoon corn oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Magda el-Mehdawy's book My Egyptian Grandmother's Kitchen. Mehdawy also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

To read more about Mehdawy and Egyptian cuisine, click here.

Lentils are a very ancient food staple, and have been the basis of diets in the Middle East for millennia. To perk up the flavor of this soup, cooks often add a spritz of lemon juice to each serving at the last minute.

Magda el-Mehdawy shares her tips with Epicurious:

· Ghee is available at Middle Eastern markets and by mail order from Kalustyan's (212-685-3451).
· Yellow lentils are actually orange when you buy them in the package, but they quickly turn yellow when cooked. Unlike brown lentils, they take very little time to cook.
· The amount of cumin can be adjusted to taste.

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