Monday, December 3, 2007

Red Lentil Soup with Fried Onion, Lime, Mint and Cilantro Dressing....



Red Lentil Soup has a lot many variations worldwide! One of the wonderful ways to dress up a bowl of hearty lentil soup is by adding crunchy fried onions mixed with lime juice and lots of chopped cilantro and mint, it makes for a burst of flavors!!! This one is an adaptation from the middle eastern way of cooking.
I use my trusted pressure cooker to finish off the job in a few minutes........ I mean, I like to think I've a life....lol! You sure can simmer it in a sauce pan!




Red Lentil Soup with Fried Onion, Lime, Mint and Cilantro Dressing....
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1 cup Red Lentils/Masoor Dal
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp celery, chopped (optional)
1 tomato chopped OR 1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp oil/butter
1 tsp cumin powder
1tbsp coriander/dhania powder
salt & pepper to taste
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Garnish:
4 tbsp fried onions
4 tbsp finely chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
2 tsp mint leaves, chiffonade
4 tbsp lime juice, use as per taste
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1. Wash the lentils well and soak in water till you chop the vegetables and get the other ingredients ready.
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2. Chop onion, carrot and celery. The mix of these three together is a base for almost all kinds of soups and is also known as 'the trinity' or 'Mirepoix' in French cooking! Don't ya love those fancy terms ;)
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3. Heat oil, add the mirepoix and saute on medium till they soften. Take care not to brown the onions, that changes the taste of the soup.
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4. Add ginger and garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add chopped tomato/paste.
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5. Add drained lentils, spices and about 5/6 cups of water. Cook till done. It takes just one whistle in my pressure cooker, about 40 minutes in a saucepan. Add salt an pepper to taste.
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6. Some people like to blend the soup, at this point, I don't. I like this soup a little on the runny side which helps take on the dressing flavors better, in my opinion. Do as you please :)
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7. Now comes the incredible dressing part, which in itself is yummmmm :) Mix 1tbsp fried onions, 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp mint chiffonade and 1 tbsp lime juice, garnish over the soup and serve immediately.
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8. The crispy onions and the tartness from the lime juice make for one amazing tasty soup! I won't recommend this soup without these two!
Definitely one of my favorite soups, serve with any bread you like for a delicious meal this winter or any season for that matter!!
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Variations:
You can add greens like spinach, kale etc when the soup is cooked and simmer till the greens wilt for an extra healthy serving :)
You can always omit the mint if you don't have access to it.
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Enjoy..........

52 comments:

Laavanya said...

Yummy... I love dhal soups and this definitely seems to have a burst of flavours. I like the idea of adding crunchy fried onions...

Padmaja said...

Very different Soup Richa, There are so many signature dishes round and would love to try yours!!

Seema said...

Lovely soup.. perfect for the season.. Crunchy onions on top are a great idea.. lovely presentation!

Shivapriya said...

Hot and deliciousI make similar version but I use coconut milk to add lil creaminess.

sunita said...

We adore red lentils..and your's is another lovely version for me to try -)

Pravs said...

Soup looks yummy! Love masoor dal..so tasty dal. Hey richa, check my recent post for your sweet potato paratha pic.

evolvingtastes said...

Richa, I make masoor dal soup almost identical to that (sans celery, thank you), but those toppings sounds terrific! Definitely 'a burst a flavor', just like you said.

Richa said...

thanks laav! yup, those crunchy onions set it apart, one does indulge a bit extra due to that :)

thanks padmaja! do try it sometime.

thanks seema! glad u liked it dear, do try

Richa said...

thanks shivpriya! oh yeah, cocomilk will give it a new twist.

thanks sunita! do lemme' know if u try this, me too like massor.

thanks pravs! yup, it is quick and yum :)
just chkd ur post, so glad u liked my parathas dear.

thanks et!
do try with the toppings, they do make such a difference in taste.
also no celery for me, the reason for it being optional....lol

KayKat said...

Very interesting! I love the idea of topping it with lime and mint.

Shweta said...

That soup sounds so good I would've hugged you if you were around :) Here's a e-hug for you Richa! >:D<

Linda said...

Looks so yummy and warm, Richa, perfect for snowy nights! I love masoor dal. I never tried mint and cilantro in the same dish -- sounds very flavorful! :)

TBC said...

This sounds really good. I've never tried making a soup-ish prepn . I normally just make the regular dal. I like the fried onions on top. A nice touch!:)

Namratha said...

That is a nice recipe and a good looking soup Richa, good one!

Richa said...

thanks kaykat!
lime and mint do gel very well :)

thanks shweta! so sweet of ya, and hugs from me too sweetie >:D<

Richa said...

thanks linda! yup we need those hot soups for the cold winters!!

thanks tbc! lemme' know if u try this :)

thanks namratha! glad u liked it.

KALVA said...

yummm... delicious soup,., very appetizing dear!

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

oh wow!!! this ones gr8, Richa!! Just right for this cold weather

TheCooker said...

Hey I make lentil just like this only :)
The celery is rightfully 'optional'. Next time I'm adding the fried onions for sure. Great idea.

Raks said...

Lentil Soup Looks delicious Richa:)
With all those onions,lime,mint and cliantaro won't it taste great?!!

Finla said...

Yumm looks delicious.
And all that lovely flavour. Yummy

Rajitha said...

Richa..looks yummy and also kinda fancy..great job!!

Kribha said...

My friend makes this with split moong dal and she also adds milk to it. Never tried with masoor dal before and also the addition of crunchy onions with lime and mint is a great twist to this dish. Will try it for sure.

Richa said...

thanks kalva!

thanks ramya! do try :)

thanks tc! wow celery is optional for you too....lol

Richa said...

thanks raks kit!

thanks hc!

thanks rajitha, it is quick to make and makes a full meal for me with some bread ;)

thanks kribha! milk in moong dal, that is a first for me! do lemme' know if u try :)

swapna susarla said...

very healthy soup!!

remya said...

healthy soup!!! perfect for this winter...

Bong Mom said...

Masoor Dal my favourite

Anonymous said...

What a great twist on lentil soup. I love the difference that it makes with the garnish. Lovely post.

VegeYum

Shweta said...

Thanks :) A stupid question - how did you fry the onions - chopped/sliced and deep fried? I've never tried frying onions to a crisp texture before, so I was wondering... :)

Richa said...

thanks swapna, remya, sandeepa, vegeyum! thanks for stopping by!

shweta, yup u got it right! just slice the onions fine and fry in a pan, no need to add too much oil, can be shallow fried till brown, press to the side of the pan to drain all the oil when u take them out. they crisp up after u let them cool a bit on papaer towels. fried onions taste so good on their own. an alternative is to buy them ready made from the store ;)
feel free to ask any other querries u might hv.

Shweta said...

Thanks Richa :) That sounds easy enough! Will let you know how my soup turns out!

musical said...

Perfect for a winter evening! Its looking so hearty, Richa! How is it going, dear? i've gotten really lazy these days to blog!

Love,
musical.

Archana Doshi said...

Taking pictures of dals so hard and you have taken a fantastic picture :).
I am still trying to get a few good crockery to take better pictures of soupy items :)
Archana
http://archanaskitchen.wordpress.com/

Sagari said...

what a lovely lentil soup looks delecioussss

Richa said...

enjoy the soup, shweta! lemme know how u liked it :)

thanks musy! yup it does get pushed back many times and no harm at all in that! take ur time and blog only when u feel like it, we all go thru that phase! it does get tough to take out time evry single day. hugs

thanks archana for ur sweet words! hmmm shopping...cool, enjoy...

thanks sagari!

thanks

Bharathy said...

Wonderful Combo!..Perfect for the season!...Slurrrrp :)

Prema Sundar said...

Soup looks delicious Richa.. love the fried and crunchy onions on top.

Tee said...

mmmm...masoor dal mala khup aavadte ! Love your soup recipe and will try this out soon. Fried onion sahi lagat asel na soup madhe ? :)

Cynthia said...

Yes, yes, yes!!!! I want to eat that!

Susan said...

That fried onion, lime, mint and cilantro combo is the icing on the cake...er, the soup!

SMN said...

This luks so great!
sushma

J said...

Oh Yum!

Rachel said...

lentils and lentils is all I see around...now I have quite a collection!

DEEPA said...

never heard of this soup ..something really healthy one ...awesome ...it must have tasted great ...awesome ...no words to say lady

Sig said...

Love lentil soup... Love the garnish, those fried onions look real crunchy.... great addition to any soup.

Priyanka said...

chatakedar soup distoy!!! fried onions ani mint-cilantro chya garnish mule taste ankhin chaan lagat asel. perfect for the winters...oh how i miss the snow at times like these.

Amna said...

I just love your recipes, dhal soups are just fantastic and warm soup in this winter is just what we need!!

Shilpa said...

Thats a gorgeous soup Richa. Well suited for freezing weather

Mythreyee said...

what a lovely combo. Each ingredient has its intense flavor. Gotta try this for sure. Looks colorful too.

Anonymous said...

That must have been heavenly, will try it sometime..

www.monaafzal.wordpress.com

Shweta said...

I am enjoying this soup as I write :) It is awesome! I didn't do a great job frying the onions, they didn't turn crispy, though they wilted and browned. I hope to do better the next time :) In spite of that the soup is just SO good! Thanks so much for the recipe dear :)