Dahl or red lentil soup.
I tried to write something about this dahl soup. Is it as ingrained in my soul as French onion soup? No. Does the thought of it warm my heart and spirit on a hard or cool day? Yes. I was going to write something about how I’ve asked, pleaded, and nearly prostrated myself for Gateway to India‘s recipe, but they tenderly rebuke me every time saying such things as, “You wouldn’t come here anymore if you knew.” Well, that’s certainly not true. I cannot make a curry dish to save my life. I just want to feel the onion pieces softly squishing between my tongue and palate and the spicy tease of ginger in my olfactory. I want to stare at its deep ochre yellow as I take in the soup’s gently lumpy texture. Then, I want the flavors of spices, lentils, onions, and garlic to play across my tongue’s taste buds. Lastly, I want the warmth of a loving soup in my belly and to share it with that special E across the table from me.
The spurning and my desperation led to the below recipe. I searched cookbooks and recipe websites and tried variations and a combination to arrive at this. It is a very flexible, easy soup recipe that can be adapted to one’s own tastes. Sometimes I throw in an extra tomato or potato just for the change in texture, color, or flavor. The best thing about this is that it is fast and takes roughly an hour to prepare and serve. Lentils do not need to be soaked. Just do the prep work, saute some veggies, and add the water or broth.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups red lentils
3-4 small onions chopped (approx. 3-4 cups)
3-4 jalapeño finely chopped
6-7 cloves garlic minced
1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped ginger
2-3 Tbsp olive oil or butter or ghee
2-3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
4 cups (32 oz) vegetable broth or water
salt to taste
cilantro chopped for garnish
Optional
1-2 potatoes chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
1-2 tomatoes chopped
Preparation
Chop the vegetables and measure out the remaining ingredients. Over medium high heat, sauté the onions until they are soft or begin to caramelize. Caramelization will yield a darker soup. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapeño and any additional vegetables and sauté an additional 3-5 minutes. Add spices and stir in for 2-3 minutes. Add lentils, 1-2 cups broth or water, and salt and stir while gently scraping off any built up vegetable matter from the bottom of the pot. Add the remainder of the broth and bring to a rapid simmer. Turn the heat down to medium or low medium and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft or have lost some of their shape. Taste and test the lentils (these should be soft). Add more salt and some pepper if desired. To serve, dish into bowls and garnish with a generous sprinkle of cilantro, which I totally forgot to do in my photo.
It doesn’t hurt to simmer this soup longer but remember to occasionally stir and add a cup of water here and there so the lentils don’t form a crust on the bottom of the pan. To create a thinner soup, water or broth can be added. If the soup is thinned, bring it back to a simmer after adding the additional water or broth. This freezes well and keeps in the refrigerator for a decent period of time. (Purposefully left ambiguous.)
Enjoy!
