Spicy Lentil (Masoor Dal) Soup

 The soup pot has been making a lot of appearances on my stove since the cold weather finally arrived this winter. I wanted to make one of my favorite guilt-free soups since I'm trying to eat a little healthier after my holiday indulging. I love this spicy Masoor Dal soup that is truly a protein packed one pot meal.  Although I did not make this a vegetarian meal, it can easily become one by simply substituting vegetable stock. Masoor Dal is readily available in Indian Grocers and some larger grocery stores in their international section.  

Ingredients:

2 cups of uncooked masoor lentils (washed)
3 cups of water
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 green chilies sliced
10-12 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 medium onion sliced
3 cloves of garlic grated
1Tbs of fresh ginger grated
1 cup of canned diced tomato




4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
red chili flakes to taste
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs of lime juice (more for garnishing)
1 cup of coconut milk
salt and pepper as needed

Note:  If you do not have curry leaves at your disposal (they usually can be found at Indian Grocery Stores), substitute a bay leaf.  You don't have to fry them like the curry leaves, just put it into the soup while it's boiling, but remember to take it out of the soup before you puree.

Directions:
 
 Wash your masoor lentils well with water until the water runs clear. Boil the washed lentils in a large pan with water, cinnamon stick and ground turmeric until water cooks out and lentils are very soft and tender (do not add salt while cooking lentils). If you need to add more water to get your lentils cooked fully cooked do so as needed.  Remove the cinnamon stick and set cooked lentils aside until later. 
 

In a large soup pot, add 1Tbs of canola oil.  Once heated add your curry leaves and cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds.  Then add your chopped onions and green chilies and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Next add your grated ginger, garlic, dried thyme and red chili flakes. Cook for another minute. Then add your diced tomatoes and rice wine vinegar and 3/4 of the cooked lentils.

Add your 4 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Finally add your coconut milk and taste for salt and seasoning. I like my soup semi-smooth so I used hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup (but not completely).  You can also put it in a blender to do this. Once the soup is almost smooth, add your remaining cooked lentils to the pot.  Finish off with some lime juice to taste.

 Serve with more lime juice as garnish, crusty bread or poppadoms.  Enjoy.




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