Dhal Soup Food

DHAL SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse split peas and place in a pot with the water.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, skim occasionally.
• Heat the ghee in a frying pan, brown the chili and cumin seeds, then ad onion and garlic.
• Saute until onions are golden brown on the edges then add turmeric.
• Add spicy butter mixture to split peas, simmer for about 1 hour.
• Season with salt to taste.
• If the soup appears to be too thick, add more water for a medium-thick consistency.
• Fold in the cilantro leaves before serving.
• Serve hot.

EASY DHAL SOUP

Steps:

• In large saucepan, warm olive oil and add garlic and onion. Saute, stirring 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, and cumin.
• Stir in tomatoes, lentils, lemon juice, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
• Serve warm. You can garnish with lemon slices and cilantro if desired. Also good with naan bread.

DAHL SOUP

Steps:

• Cook onion and garlic in butter for 2-3 minutes. Add all spices and cook for 30 more seconds.
• Stir in tomatoes, red lentils, lemon juice, stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until lentils are tender and cooked.
• Season to taste, garnish with cilantro.

DAL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to get hot. Add the garlic, garam masala, cumin seeds, and turmeric and cook for 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lentils and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to an electric spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle and grind by hand. Grind to a fine powder. Store the garam masala in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

DAL

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the ghee and stir-fry the onions just until wilted, do not brown. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, lentils, ginger, curry powder, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaf. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until the herbs and spices bloom (aromatic). Add the tomatoes and deglaze with the vinegar. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning with cumin, salt, pepper and sugar.
• In a large saute pan, combine the black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, and dried red chiles. Over medium heat, cook just until slightly toasted, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and stir in the grated nutmeg.
• Transfer to a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Pass through a fine strainer. Allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight jar. Use as needed.

INDIAN LENTIL SOUP (DAL SHORVA)

Steps:

• 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.
• Serve hot with pita or paratha bread.

BENGALI DHAL

Steps:

• Wash the lentils in a strainer. Combine the lentils and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half of the sliced onions and garlic, reserving the rest for later. Stir in the turmeric, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt. Add the chiles, leaving them whole to add flavor or cut in half to add heat. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils break apart and thicken slightly, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the reserved sliced onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Stir in the rest of the chopped garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and tender, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the contents of the skillet into the cooked lentils and stir. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

DAHL SOUP - FIJIAN INDIAN VERSION

Steps:

• Place yellow split peas, water, turmeric and salt into largish saucepan and bring to boil.
• Turn down heat once boiling and simmer until peas are tender. About 45 - 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat ghee or oil and gently fry onion and garlic until slightly brown.
• Add mustard seeds and chilli powder and fry a further 2 - 3 minutes.
• Add onion mixture to soup.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with roti bread or poppadoms.
• Optional: A skinned, finely chopped tomato can also be added to soup when serving.
• Enjoy!

RED LENTIL DHAL

Steps:

• Place lentils in a pan with the salt, cover with the water and bring to the boil.
• Remove the froth, reduce the heat and put the lid on the pan - leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Check the lentils are cooked by squeezing them between your fingers. Once soft remove from the heat.
• In a frying pan heat the oil or butter. Using a fork pierce the whole chillies and add to the pan with a bay leaf and the cumin seeds.
• When the seeds sizzle, remove the chilli and set to one side for your garnish.
• Add the onion and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek and the chopped chilli. Gently let the ingredients cook down for about 10 minutes to make a thick masala paste.
• Add a ladle full of the lentils (dhal) to the masala paste in the frying pan and stir together, then empty all the contents back into the pan with the lentils and stir. It should have the consistency of a thick soup but if it's too thick just add a little boiling water and remove from the heat. If you prefer it thicker just leave it on the heat to reduce until you get the consistency you want.
• Check the seasoning and add a little salt if required. Stir in the garam masala, coriander and top with the whole chillies to serve.

SPICY INDIAN DAHL

Steps:

• Cook the lentils by boiling or pressure cooking until lentils are soft. (Pressure cooking is faster.)
• In a skillet heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds begin to flutter, add onions, ginger, jalapeno peppers, and garlic. Saute until the onions and garlic are golden brown. Add coriander and cumin. Add chopped tomatoes. Saute the mixture well until tomatoes are well cooked.
• Add water. Boil 6 minutes. Add cooked lentils, stirring well. Add salt to taste, stirring well. Add finely chopped cilantro and remove from heat. Serve hot.

ONE-PAN COCONUT DHAL

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then drain. Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan and cook the onions over a low heat for 10 mins until starting to brown, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another 30 seconds. Scatter in the curry leaves, if using, and all the spices and cook for a few minutes more, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute longer.
• Stir in the lentils, ensuring they're well coated in the spices, then pour over the coconut milk and 850ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, then simmer for about 30 mins until the lentils are soft and soupy. Scoop out the whole chilli and discard, then season generously with salt. The dhal can now be left to cool, then frozen in portions, or as one batch in a large plastic container. Defrost completely before reheating in a pan over a low heat, adding more water to loosen if needed.
• Serve with a sprinkling of the coriander, sliced ginger and chilli, and drizzle with a bit more oil.