Lentil soup, daal, dal or daar, whatever you call it, there’s no denying that this super quick, and extremely delicious meal is a crowd pleaser.
Packed full of vitamins, daal is an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. All of which contribute to clear, moisturised, younger looking skin. It’s also the perfect plant-based protein and fibre option.
Native to Western Asia and Mediterranean, lentils are one of the earliest domesticated crops and one of the oldest pulse crops known to man.
Many people will have different ways of making daal, this is my family’s recipe. Let me know how you make it in the comments!
Easy Lentil Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 tbsp Tuvar Daal (yellow split pigeon peas)
- 130 ml Water
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 Tomato (chopped)
- 0.25 tsp Black mustard seeds
- 0.25 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 0.25 tsp Asafoetida
- 0.25 tsp Sugar
- 0.25 tsp Garam masala
- 0.5 tsp Cumin powder
- 0.5 tsp Coriander powder
- 0.5 tsp Turmeric
- 0.5 tsp Crushed green chilli
- 0.5 tsp Crushed ginger
- 0.5 tsp Crushed garlic
- 0.5 tsp Red chilli powder
- Salt (to taste)
- Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Sift through the lentils and pick out any stones.
- Wash thoroughly with warm water, rinsing 3-4 times.
- Put into a saucepan with the water and some salt, then bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and cover. Leave for 15 minutes.
- Check if the lentils have softened (leave for a further 5 minutes if not).
- When soft, use a hand blender or masher to turn into a smooth consistency.
- In another pan add the oil and put on a medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the black mustard seeds and wait for it to start popping.
- Add fenugreek seeds and wait until most of the mustard seeds have stopped popping, then give the pan a shake.
- Add the tomato and reduce the heat to low. Stir.
- Put in the cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, green chilli, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and salt. Stir.
- Let it infuse for a few minutes.
- Stir in the boiled lentils.
- Slowly stir in some water little by little to gain a soup-like consistency.
- Add in the sugar and garam masala and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve in a bowl, garnished with fresh coriander leaves and a side of rotli (chapati) or rice. Enjoy!
One Response
Love the step-by-step explanation in simple terms.