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Continuing the frugal autumn theme of soup (I want that massage) here is a recipe for dal, the wonderfully spiced, thick Indian soup. If I am going to live by soup alone then they had better be substantial, and pulses are filling and full of protein, excellent for vegetarians, in fact this is a great low calorie vegetarian recipe.
Not that I am counting calories (too painful and pointless) but – as you may have guessed, you clever reader - I may have been exagerating a little when I said I was living by soup alone, so I feel justified in finishing my lunch off with a sweet goody if I eat so healthily for my main course.
The pulse here is toor dal, a very yellow, almost waxy looking split pea, you’ll find them in any Asian food shop.
Ingredients
500g toor dal
600ml water
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 thumb of ginger
1/2 green chili
1 tomato/ squeeze of tomato paste
1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp curry powder
2 cloves garlic
handful fresh coriander
Makes 3 decent lunches
- Rinse toor dal and soak in water for 30 mins
- Add drained dal, water and salt to pan and bring to the boil#
- Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes until thick and soft (add more water along the way if it looks like it’s drying out)
- Meanwhile, chop ginger and chili and add to pan with turmeric, tomato and juice of the lemon
- Heat a little flavourless oil (e.g. sunflower or groundnut) and fry cumin, ginger and curry powder gently for 2 mins, stir into the dal
Serve by adding a handful of chopped fresh coriander, with a bready something on the side (toasted wholemeal pita is surprisingly good as an easy chapati substitute, especially spread with butter).
Tags: Dal, Homemade soup
