← Nouns Cooking · Soup Pot

Ingredients

• 100 g Yellow moong dal (split mung beans), rinsed well
• 1 l Water
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• 2 tsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ tsp dry ginger powder
• ½ tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
• ¼ tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• Salt

Method

1. Put the dal in a pan with 750 ml of the water and the turmeric. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then simmer for 15–20 min, until the lentils are completely soft. Whisk or blend until smooth.
2. In a second pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3–4 min, until soft and lightly golden. Stir in the ginger powder, pepper and chilli powder.
4. Pour the dal into the spiced onions with the remaining water, season with salt and simmer for 5 min. It should be thin enough to sip from a cup.
5. Stir in the lemon juice and coriander and serve hot.

Tips

• Red lentils (masoor dal) work too and cook just as fast.
• Many cooks add a pinch of asafoetida with the cumin; most asafoetida contains wheat flour, so skip it for gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Archana's Kitchen Sanjeev Kapoor