Indian Dahl (Pureed Lentil Soup)

It's been pretty cold here this week and last night I wanted a hearty and warm dinner. My roomie's sister is stuck here because of the storm, so I decided to make Indian dahl for dinner, which is a pureed lentil soup. Apparently, there are all sorts of dahl, and I'm not exactly sure which kind I know how to make, but it's good either way! My "recipe" is, of course, not exact, and more of a use-what-you-have thing.

This might SEEM a bit long and involved, but trust me, it's really easy, it's worth it and (for me at least) it always makes enough for DAYS. I actually made this for my friend Flossie once and it was too spicy for her to eat plain, but she added it to yogurt and made a sort-of dip with pita chips from it and she loved it! This is also a SUPER healthy recipe, if you use water or veggie stock instead of chicken stock, it's 100% vegetarian. And if you don't add the garnish, there is no added fats (oil, etc.).

You'll need to buy some split lentils from the store. I'm pretty sure you can get them dried in Publix, but I've never actually purchased them there. I always go to the Indian store because they are much cheaper there. There are all different colors, and I think they all taste the same, so just buy whatever colors you want. These are what the pink ones look like:

I used pink and black lentils. The colors also don't matter because you are going to puree everything at the end.

So start by washing your lentils. For some reason they come really dirty. I first put them in a colander and rinse them for awhile. Then I put them in a big bowl and fill it up with water, stir them around, then drain, over and over, until the water is clear. It does take a bit, so don't get discouraged!

After your lentils are cleaned, add them to a big pot. Then add whatever veggies you want. Last night I added half of a big onion roughly chopped (again, we are going to puree this at the end, don't worry about it being pretty!), a bag of frozen broccoli. I usually like to add a bag of the frozen veggie mix with carrots, peas, etc. You could also add a chopped potato, or anything you have lying around you need to get rid of (I sometimes add roughly chopped jalapenos or other peppers). Also, at this point, I add a bunch of whole peeled garlic cloves, and if you have it, whole, peeled ginger. Then add enough water and/or chicken/veggie stock to cover everything with a few extra inches. The lentils puff up when they cook, so you'll need the extra room. I also add a little bit of salt to the water too.

Boil this entire mixture for 30-45 minutes, or until the lentils are done (you'll have to just taste test to make sure they are soft). At this point, if you have time, let this mixture cool.

After it's cooled, puree the soup in batches in a blender (or if you're SUPER cool and have an immersion blender, you can use that directly in the pot). Depending on your taste is how pureed you should make it. I like mine a little thicker, so I stop before it's totally pulverized. NOTE: if you do NOT let this soup cool, please BE CAREFUL when you blend. When you put hot liquid in the blender and close it, then turn it on, it WILL explode. This is NOT a wives' tale! This has actually happened to me and I was cleaning dahl off our blinds for days. If it's hot, take the little middle part out of the blender lid, and cover with a hand towel instead. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!!!

Return the pureed mixture back to the pot and bring back to a simmer. At this point is when you want to do all your seasoning. My godmother gave me a masala dabba, which is an Indian spice box. I ADORE it, and it feeds into my OCD with all the little compartments. Here's what it looks like:

Isn't she cute!!?? So inside are (clockwise from top left) cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, garam masala, spicy chili powder, dhana jeera, curry powder (inside).

So you'll want to add as much or little seasoning as you like. I like things SPICY, so I always go heavy on the spices, but just remember, you can always add more, but you can never take away! You'll also want to add salt and pepper at this point too.

Meanwhile, in another small frying pan, you're going to make the garnish, also called "chaunk" (confession, I had no idea what this was called until I just looked it up now on wikipedia!). It's basically sauteed onions and spices. First, heat some oil, and add in the whole seeds in your cute little masala dabba (cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds). Cook them until they are spluttering and then add the onions and cook until soft. At this point, add some of the spices you added to the dahl and combine well. Keep in mind, this part is TOTALLY optional. I eat dahl all the time plain by itself and it is just as flavorful and delicious because you add spices to the soup too.

Spoon up some dahl into a bowl and add the garnish on top and enjoy! I also like to add a sprinkle of hot chili pepper (gotta have my spice!) and some fresh-ground pepper.

I forgot to take a picture before I started eating... cuz it was SO GOOD!! But here it is half-eaten :)

(I know, it looks kind of icky, because of the black lentils and spinach, but it tastes GOOD.)