Best Dal Soup Recipes

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.

SPINACH AND TOMATO DAL (INDIAN LENTIL SOUP)

Steps:

• Bring lentils and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook at a simmer 10 minutes. Skim off any scum that forms and continue to simmer until the lentils are tender, about 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a separate saucepan. Cook mustard seeds and cumin seeds in hot oil until they start to splatter, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and turmeric to the seeds; cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir spinach, tomato, and cayenne pepper into the onion mixture; cook until the spinach wilts and the tomato is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir the cooked lentils and cilantro into the spinach mixture; bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust salt and water to taste and texture preferences.

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.

YELLOW MUNG DAL SOUP - DAL SHORBA

Steps:

• Note: I used 1/2 tsp of dried thyme and just crumbled it between my fingers. (That's before I realized the recipe actually called for turmeric, not thyme). If you don't like things too hot, slice the pepper in half and seed it and toss in the halves - retrieve them before pureeing/serving. The recipe called for water, but I used vegetable broth, which I think added to the flavor of the soup.
• Wash and rinse the mung dal. The first package I bought was artificially colored - I washed it repeatedly until the water was quite clear, so check your package before buying!
• Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, sauteing until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring, and cook briefly.
• Add the turmeric.
• Add the mung dal and 4 cups of broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. If you are using water, add salt at this point. Also add the chili peppers. Stir from time to time and skim off any foam. Add additional water, as needed. Simmer until the mung dal are quite soft, 30-45 minutes.
• Puree at this point, if desired. If you are using chili halves, remove before pureeing. (The last time I made this I used a ripe jalapeno, and left it in . I did not puree it to the very end, leaving some texture and very pretty red chili flecks in the soup).
• In a small skillet heat the butter until it foams. Add the cumin and stir it in for just a few seconds, then scrape it all into the saucepan. (The last few times I made this, I just sprinkled a little cumin on top, and that worked just as well, less work and fewer dishes to wash!).
• Add the lemon or lime juice and ladle into bowls. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• This made two servings for me, but will probably make 3 to 4 for others.

INDIAN LENTIL DAL SOUP

Steps:

• The night before you want to make your dal, boil the lentils in water for 5 minutes and then discard the water. Soak the lentils overnight if you are using dried. Change the water once while soaking. When you are ready to use the lentils, discard the soak water. If you are using a pressure cooker to reconstitute the lentils, you can put them in the pressure cooker now. Otherwise, you can hang onto them and add them to the soup later. Chop the onion, carrots, and celery and add it to a saucepan over medium heat. Cover the saucepan and begin mincing the garlic. Then add the garlic to the saucepan. Occasionally, stir the veggies to distribute the heat and keep them from sticking to the pot. Once the onions are translucent, add the broth, water, beans, and spices. Cover the pot and simmer. If your beans are already cooked, you shouldn't have to cook the soup for long. If the lentils are soaked but uncooked, simmer the soup until the lentils are soft enough to eat. Last, add the soy sauce. Tips If you do not have lentils handy, you can use mung beans instead. You can add ginger or jalepenos to this soup if you wish. You can also add cilantro as a delicious garnish.

DAL--INDIAN SPLIT PEA SOUP AND FRESH TOMATO RELISH

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, the garlic, the ginger root and the jalapeno. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the split peas, the coriander, the cumin, the celery seed, the cinnamon and the clove. Mix well. Add the chicken stock, stir again, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer slowly, partially covered, for about one hour, or until split peas are just soft. You may need to add more chicken stock if peas become too thick and dry.
• While soup is cooking, prepare the relish: Toss all six ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste.
• With a wooden spoon, crush a few of the soft peas in the soup against the side of the pot. Stir well. If the soup is too thick, add a little chicken stock. Season to taste. Ladle the hot soup into four wide soup bowls. Mix in most of the tomato relish, saving about 1/4 cup. Place three shrimp in the center of each bowl. Divide the remaining tomato relish among the four bowls, placing it in the center of the shrimp. Top that with a few fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

TOMATO DAL SOUP

Steps:

• Wash dal in several changes of water until water runs clear and drain well in a sieve. Cook dal at a bare simmer in 1 1/2 cups water in a 3-quart saucepan until most of water is evaporated and dal has consistency of a paste, 40 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently during last 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
• Heat ghee in a 6-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook mustard seeds and red chile, stirring, until seeds begin to pop. Add 1 1/2 cups water and remaining ingredients (but not dal paste). Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add dal paste and remaining cup water, stirring to incorporate. Bring rasam to a boil, stirring occasionally, and season with salt.