India – Art, Culture, Recipe & Fashion

Easy Dal – lentil soup – Serves 3-4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup toor dal (can be replaced with yellow split moong dal)
2. ½ tablespoon oil
3. ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds (replace with ½ teaspoon cumin seeds if using moong dal)
4. Pinch of asaefotida
5. 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
6. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 2 ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (or adjust per hot taste)
8. ½ teaspoon cumin powder
9. ½ teaspoon coriander powder
10. ¼ cup finely chopped tomatoes
11. 6-7 fresh curry leaves
12. 4-5 kokum pieces
13. ½ tablespoon jaggery (optional)
14. 1 ½ teaspoon salt (or adjust to taste)
15. 1 teaspoon mango powder or 2 teaspoon lemon juice
16. 1 tablespoon chopped coriander

 Method:

1. Wash and soak the toor dal in 3 ½ cups of water.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil on medium heat. Add black mustard seeds and let splutter. Add the asaefotida.
3. Mix ginger paste, turmeric, red chilli, cumin and coriander powder with 1 teaspoon water and add to the oil with the curry leaves. Cook for little less than a minute.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Add kokum and jaggery with ½ cup of water and cook on high for 2 minutes.
5. Add the toor dal with the water it was soaked in, stir well, add salt and pressure cook for 3 whistles or 15 minutes on medium-high.
6. Run cold tap water over the hot cooker to cool down faster. Open the lid cautiously.
7. Place the cooker back on medium heat for 2-3 minutes – adjust spices if required.
8. Garnish with the chopped coriander.
9. Serve hot with plain rice and ½ teaspoon of ghee.