Dal Soup

By pattie_d

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons garam masala, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 5 cups water
• Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Few fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish
• Garam Masala
• 1/2 cup coriander seeds
• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup dried curry leaves*
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 dried red chiles
• *Can be found at specialty Asian and Indian markets.

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from cookingchanneltv.com

Preparation

Step 1

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.

To make garam masala:
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.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups