We are in between seasons right now which gets kind of confusing in the kitchen. Last week it was 80 and I didn’t really want to eat anything and this week it got cold again, which made me want soup and pretend like it’s winter! This soup recipe is a play on potato leek, but with lentils (either masoor or moong pictured above), less potato and topped with fried spices. It’s a good way to get a creamy consistency but not by using a starchy potato and get some protein while you’re at it.
Along with a few other spices, I fry kalonji or nigella seeds, little black seeds which taste a bit like onion, at the end to pour over this soup. Kalonji is a very complementary spice to dal and potato. Tempering spices to finish a dish is called chaunk in North India.
This recipe is a one pot meal because its starch and protein in one with the potato and lentils, so no need to make rice to go with your dal here. The first time I made this soup, I had gotten my first garlic wand from my CSA which I used in the recipe. This is a picture of my garlic wand!
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Pour 8 cups water. You will start getting some foam at the top so skim it off the top. When you don’t see anymore foam, add the turmeric, coriander powder and a teaspoon of salt and cook until vegetables and lentils get soft. This takes about 30 minutes over medium heat.
Using a hand blender or regular blender, puree the soup. Add the soup back into the pot.
In a small saucepan, heat the ghee or oil to medium heat. Then add in the hing, cumin seeds, kalonji seeds and fry until the cumin seeds are brown. Add the chili powder and give a good stir. Right after, add the onions and stir together. When the onion is translucent, pour it over the soup. Add salt, pepper and lemon to your taste.
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You don’t have onion anywhere in the table of contents. Do we slice or chop?
Hi Kiran – The third to the last ingredient is onion, chopped.