Dal Soup for A Frigid Winter Night

I'm guilty - this blog has been a bit light on recipes lately. I haven't really been trying out new recipes lately, mostly because of myriad other things going on:

• I've been working crazy hours at The Job (TM), getting in early and leaving late pretty much every day.



• My new blog, 6 Figure Blogging Strategies, has been taking up a lot of time... not only with posting, but with coding, setting up ad campaigns, and all of those other "new blog" tasks to minimize my time in the Google sandbox (it's kind of like purgatory for blogs, I hear).



• We've been gearing up for Aria's birthday, which is today (my baby turned 6 today *sniff*).

So in the interest of stalling, I'm recalling a recipe that I originally posted a couple of years ago... but since I made it again today, I thought it would be a good time to share this with my new readers...

This is a highly inauthentic but quite tasty "dal soup" I make at least a few times every winter. It's a spicy, simple dish that works perfectly for those post-holiday winter nights. Comfort food, in my estimation.

Dal Soup

2 tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup red lentils

2 tsp lemon juice

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Add Earth Balance butter, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, and chili powder to large saucepan. Cook for 30 seconds on medium heat, stirring frequently.

Add tomatoes, lentils, lemon juice, vegetable broth, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Note: I use roma tomatoes because they are a little heartier than other types of tomatoes, and stand up better to long cooking times. Just a personal preference there - other types work fine, they'll just be a little softer.

If you have the time and inclination to make your own naan or poori, either of these breads make a fantastic accompaniment for dal soup. One of these days, I'll get around to posting a recipe (and maybe even a video demonstration) for making these fantastic Indian breads.

ETA: Happy Birthday Aria!

Urad Dal

Dal is one of the staples of Indian cuisine, and comes in many forms. The term "dal" refers to a paste-like dish made from various types of beans. Dal is also sometimes used to refer to the beans themselves, although "gram" is the appropriate term for beans when used in Indian cuisine.

Urad gram is black lentil beans, which are also sometimes sold as "white lentils" when the black husks have been removed. Urad dal is made from the white lentil variety - these can occasionally be found in American supermarkets, but are more commonly found at Indian specialty grocers.

Here is an easy recipe for urad dal. Most of the spices used in this dish are readily available in supermarkets, except for garam masala, which can be ordered online or purchased from an Indian grocer.

1cup basmati rice
1 cup dried white lentils
1 tsp grated ginger
1 medium white onion, finely diced
2 fresh jalapeno or green chili peppers, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground hot red chilis (I have used ground cayenne pepper, with good success)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice

Cook basmati rice in a rice cooker or large saucepan according to directions.

Rinse the white lentils and soak in water for 15 minutes. Boil in 5 cups of water until lentils are soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Add oil to a large pan and heat for a few minutes. Add ground cloves and coriander seeds, heat for 30 seconds or until coriander seeds begin to pop. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos, heat for another 30 seconds. add ground red chili, turmeric, cloves and stir for 15 seconds.

Add cooked white lentils, lemon juice, and garam masala, heat for 2-3 minutes while stirring frequently.

Serve with basmati rice.