Masoor Daal

Another Indian recipe! Hooray! This soup is great. It is hearty, healthy, and easy to make. Daal is an Indian lentil soup. A lentil is a legume similar to a bean, but they are smaller and don’t take as long to cook. They are more like a split pea. They come in different varieties and you can use any kind in this recipe. I used regular brown lentils.  You can buy most of the powder spices at the grocery store. You can get the cumin and mustard seeds in the Mexican section (there are usually dried spices in little plastic bags)  at most grocery stores or at any Asian import store. Serve over rice, this,  or just on its own as a soup.

P.S. This soup is flavorful and full of spices, but it is not “spicy hot.”

Ingredients:

• 1 C. Whole Lentils
• 3 C. Water
• 1 TBSP Oil
• 1/4 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 tsp. Mustard Seeds
• 1/4 tsp. Turmeric
• 1/8 tsp. Asafoetida (optional)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic,  finely chopped
• 1 tsp. Ginger, finely grated
• Green Chilies – to taste, finely chopped
• 1 medium Tomato, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Coriander Powder
• 1/4 tsp. Cumin Powder
• 1/4 tsp. Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt (or to taste)
• Lemon Juice – to taste
• Cilantro/Coriander Leaves – 5 sprigs, chopped for garnishing

Directions:

1. Rinse lentils in running water until water runs clear. Soak for approximately 1 hour. Drain water. You can skip the soaking, it will just take a little bit longer to cook.

2. Add Lentil and 3 cups Water in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles. If you do not have a pressure cooker, just cook on medium-high heat on the stovetop in a medium pot. Once it boils, turn it down to medium and let it cook/boil until the lentils are tender (About 20-30 minutes).

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and allow them to sputter and pop. Then add turmeric powder, asafoetida, onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Mix well and cook on medium heat until onions turn light brown and soft.

4. Add tomato and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add coriander powder, cumin powder, and red chili powder. Cook for about  1 minute.

5. Add the onion/spice mixture to the  cooked lentils. Add salt and a little extra water if the mixture is too thick. Allow to boil for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder to taste and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Garnish with plain yogurt and cilantro.
 
For a creamy daal, add a scoop of plain yogurt at the end!

If you liked this recipe try this, this, this,this, or this. 🙂

Recipe adapted from www.showmethecurry.com