Sunday, January 22, 2012

CURATIVE INDIAN SOUP WITH RED LENTILS AND VEGETABLES (by Jesse)

This blog is already a bit soup-heavy, but come on - it's winter! Also, this is contributed by Jesse who has been a soup lover from the time he could hold a spoon.

It’s really simple, doesn’t take long to make, and somehow cures people of colds.

10 cups of chicken stock (i just use 5 knorr bouillon cubes in ten cups of water); 1 1/2 cups red lentils; 1 small onion, diced; 1 bag of spinach, washed and chopped; 2 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed; mushrooms, roughly chopped; 2-4 inches chopped ginger; 4-6 cloves garlic; vegetable oil (optional: and a little sesame oil); yogurt; mint leaves, chopped; crushed black pepper; sugar; light cream
spices (amounts are to taste, and while all four are good to have, the only one you really need is the curry powder; i would say the ratio here is 2:2:1:1): hot curry powder; cumin; fenugreek; turmeric

1. in a stockpot, simmer the potatoes and the lentils in the stock until both are soft and break easily with a fork.
2. meanwhile, cover the bottom of another equally large pot with oil. over low-medium heat, cook the onions, ginger, garlic, spices, sugar, and pepper (and mushrooms if you’re adding them). stir occasionally.
3. once the potatoes/lentils have softened enough and the onions are translucent, combine the two by pouring the first pot into the second. stir. add spinach and cover. cook on medium heat for at least 10 minutes. mash some of the potatoes with a fork and stir. add spices/sugar/pepper/salt to taste. add a little cream if desired.
4. in a separate bowl, mix the yogurt and mint leaves. serve the soup in bowls with a dollop of the yogurt/mint in the center. serves 6ish.

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