Lentil Dal Soup
At 34 weeks pregnant, I’ve been wanting some simple soup recipes that are jam packed with nutrients. I just ordered some of these mama soups with amazing ingredients through Good Eggs, and may stock up on even more. ( They do not have their own delivery service, and Berkeley is far for pick up for me).
But i LOVE this idea. I even have been planning the Korean birthday soup, traditionally made for women right after they give birth, but was excited to find a frozen version without all the weird ingredients you typically find in pre-made soups!
In the meantime, this is a simple protein packed dal soup.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dried split red lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
14 oz can diced tomatoes (optional, find non-BPA containers!)
Spices
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional (or to taste)
Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place it over medium heat.
Give the oil a minute to heat up, the add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent.
Stir in the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin seeds, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook everything for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
Stir in the lentils and broth. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are very soft.
Stir in the coconut milk and tomatoes. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes, until the soup is very thick and the lentils have fallen apart.
Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the lemon juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro. Serve.
Alternative:
1 1⁄2 cups red or yellow lentils
6 cups chicken stock (preferably home-made) or 6 cups vegetable stock (preferably home-made)
3 tablespoons avocado oil or ghee
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1⁄2 - 1 lemon
Spices
1 teaspoon turmeric
1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon cardamom
2 -3 curry leaves or 2 -3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Rinse the beans or lentils.
Bring to a boil with the stock, turmeric, Cayenne, cumin, cardamom and curry/bay leaves.
Let simmer until the beans or lentils are very soft (ca 30 minutes).
If using bay leaves, remove them now. Curry leaves can be left in the soup.
Run the soup quickly in a blender to a not too smooth consistency (or mash the lentils/beans with a ladle).
Sautee the garlic and mustard seeds lightly in the fat and add to the soup.
Let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Add salt, pepper and squeezed lemon to taste.
