Lentil Soup

( Masoor ki dal )

Cooking with my IWC friends is always a good experience. This month it was Cooking for my IWC friends.  They wanted to learn more about the lentil soup. I can easily say that it is one of the more popular and  frequently cooked dishes in any Indian household. There can be many reasons for that: easy to cook, shorter cooking time, goes well with almost anything and easy on your tummy too.  I cook this soup couple of times a week. There are so many variations and that’s one thing I like about it. You really don’t need any recipe to enjoy this hearty, nutritious soup. But still if you need here is the plan!  

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Course: Main

Ingredients

2 cups Red lentils ( masoor dal ) ; picked over, washed and well drained

5 cups water

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp olive/ canola oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup diced onion

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 green chili ( optional )

I cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Salt / black pepper as per taste

1 big vessel to cook  (I use my pasta pan )

1 small pan to sauté

Directions

           Bring  5 cups of  water to boil in a large pan. Add  red lentils , salt, pepper  and turmeric. Cook this mixture for 20-25  minutes on medium heat, covered. Keep stirring in between.When lentils turn soft, turn off the heat. Add more water if needed or if you want the soup to be thin and watery.

                                                     Heat oil in a wok or small pan. Add cumins and let them crack. Now add onions and cook until tender and translucent but not brown. Add  ginger and green chili. Saute all of them together for couple of minutes  on low- medium heat. Do not allow spices to burn. Keep stirring until mixture starts to stick. Now pour this spice mix over the cooked lentils in the larger pan and let it simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes to blend flavors. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Serving suggestions

Pair this delicious soup with rice or  tortilla.

Savor its flavor with plain yogurt and mint sauce.

Future variations

You may try cooking it with just turmeric, salt, pepper and cumins. It will be as good as this one !

Nutrition

High in proteins and a good source for fiber, folate and Vitamin B1.

  Did you Know ??

  Indian is the second largest producer of lentils in the world.