Lentil Soup / Dal Soup

A friend of ours prepares an awesome lentil soup. So, this version is inspired from his dish! This is essentially cooked Indian dal (with some sweet veggies and spices) that is pureed into a smooth and creamy soup. This might look like baby food to most Indians, but it's so comforting, filling, and healthy. My husband usually packs a box full of sambar or dal for lunch without bothering to add any rice or rotis. He loves to have a bowl full of sambar just as is because it is full of healthy lentils and veggies. So, I decided to just make something similar to soup, and save time on the rice or roti preparation.

Delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare. Such alluring keywords to a busy home-cook.

Ingredients (serves 3 as a main dish):

1. 1.5 cups uncooked toor dhal / tuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils, washed and drained
2. 1 onion, roughly chopped
3. 3 pods of garlic, roughly chopped
4. 1 inch block of ginger, roughly chopped
5. 1 red bell-pepper, chopped
6. 1 yellow bell-pepper, chopped
7. 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder / jeera powder
8. 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania powder
9. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
10. 1 cup coconut milk or 1/2 cup shredded coconut ground with 1/2 cup water. 
11. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
12. 1/4 cup coriander leaves / cilantro, chopped
13. 1/2 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter

Preparation:

1.  In a pressure cooker, or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil. When hot, add onion and saute until translucent. 
2. Add garlic, ginger and bell-peppers and saute for 5 minutes. 
3. Add the washed and drained toor dal and 3 cups of water. Add salt, cumin powder and coriander powder to it and mix well. Pressure cook for 4 whistles and wait for the pressure to settle down. If not using a pressure cooker, just cook for 30 minutes or until the dal is fully cooked. 
4. Blend the cooked dal with 1/2 cup water to a desired consistency. Return to the cooker or pot, add coconut milk and a little more water if necessary and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and a dollop of ghee and serve immediately. 

As the dal/soup cools, it will thicken a bit, so add more water as needed and reheat.