Moong Dal ka Shorba | Yellow Mung Dal Soup with Garlic Basil Croutons

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“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living.  For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.” ~ Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949)

Moong Dal ka Shorba (Yellow Mung Dal Soup), drizzled with olive oil & topped with garlic-basil croutons

Growing up, my mother never considered "soup" as a real meal, never did she make some at home. And ironically every time we are out for dinner, we always ordered  "tomato soup" as our first course. I never tasted any other kind. 

Moong Dal ka Shorba (Yellow Mung Dal Soup) topped with puffed bajra & red chilli flakes

..things have changed a lot since then. Now, for me personally soup is a beautiful thing, especially during rainy & winter seasons. I make it a meal-in-itself by adding bread on the side or just some papads would do too. 

Certain ingredients like lentils give soup a body and a silky texture which appeals to me the most. There is no need to add any kind of dairy products like cream or milk and by replacing the little butter used in the recipe with (olive) oil, this is a lovely vegan alternative when paired with a sandwich.

The croutons are a great way to make use of day-old left over bread lurking around in the kitchen. I have used dried basil for my croutons, but any kind of herb like rosemary, thyme, sage - fresh or dried will totally work. Enjoy!

Moong Dal Shorba (Yellow Mung Dal Soup)

Adapted from NDTV Cooks

Ingredients:

1/2 cup split moong dal
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp butter
1 green chilli, chopped
coriander leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix moong dal, onion, ginger, green chilies, turmeric powder, salt and 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for about 5-6 whistles. the dal has to be soft and mushy. Remove scum from the top, if there is any.

2. Blend the dal mixture and strain. Keep aside.

3. Heat butter in a pan, add cumin seeds. Sauté till seeds splutter. Add pureed dal and bring it to a boil. Adjust consistency by adding water if desired.

4. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Drizzle some olive oil and/or top with croutons. Serve.

Oven baked Garlic-Basil Croutons

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread, cut into cubes (preferably day-old)
4 tbsp cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp dried basil, crushed between palms

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven for 350 F or 180 C.

2. In a mixing bowl stir olive oil, garlic, cracked pepper and dried basil. Toss bread cubes so that the olive oil mixture is evenly coated.

3. Spread the bread slices evenly in one layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp & dry. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning.

“To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup.” ~ Laurie Colwin

Have a great week ahead and until next time,

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YRTML: Punjabi Chole

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Flowers in the farmer's market, today

Looking at any beautiful flower reminds me of Rabindranath Tagore's poem - 'Flower'.

Pluck this little flower and take it, delay not! I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust.

I may not find a place in thy garland, but honour it with a touch of pain from thy hand and pluck it.
I fear lest the day end before I am aware, and the time of offering go by.

Though its colour be not deep and its smell be faint, use this flower in thy service and pluck it while there is time.

I am not sure whats the inner meaning of this poem and for me, it just tells - Time is ticking away, enjoy the life, the most in this moment, while there is time. Not Past, Not Future, but live in Present. :)

So,as I had some free time on hand this weekend, I thought why not make Anita's ever-famous, ever-controversial - Punjabi Chole, which requires to ground one's own masala. Let me tell you one thing about the bhunao masala - it is lovely, fragrant and adds a nice color & authenticity to the dish. Take my advice, grind a bit more than required. I added a tbsp of it to eggplant and S just loved it. I am sure it will go well with almost any vegetable like potato, okra etc.

Click here for the recipe and Serve with some rice or roti.

Enjoy,

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

Siri

Makhani Dal (Whole Black lentils with Ginger, Garlic and Butter)

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Are you guys watching the new Next Food Network Star on Food Network?. I am so rooting for Aarti Sequeria,  a former CNN producer who later trained at The New School of Cooking in Los Angeles. I love the way she fuses indian flavors in almost any dish she makes. I just hope she wins the challenge and finally bring the first-ever show on FN based on Indian cooking.

..coming back to today's dish - it is based on legumes, the best source of protein with less cholesterol levels (when compared to other meat-alternatives) for we, Vegetarians. there are so many varieties of legumes and their derivatives that it is unbelievable. It is also scientifically proven that consumption of legumes will reduce the risk of many cancers and these are very good sources of iron, calcium and other nutrients. Now, with all this info, are convinced to make some lovely legume recipes for this month's - My Legume Love Affair 25.

The best part of this dish, that there is no-pre-soaking-of-the-legumes-required. Yes, even I was surprised. The recipe is from Raghavan Iyer's amazing cookbook 660 Curries. I am planning to make many more, in future. So stay tuned. :)

 Makhani Dal (Whole Black lentils with Ginger, Garlic and Butter)

   

Adapted from: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer (Pg: 364)

Ingredients

1 cup whole black lentils (sabud urad)
2 tbsp unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger paste + 1/2 tsp garlic paste (or 1 tsp of store-bought ginger garlic paste)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup light sour cream (optional. I sometimes just increase the amount of yogurt if I don't have any)
Salt - to taste
1 tsp garam masala (or curry powder)
1 tsp red chilli powder
finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

1. Place the lentils in a pressure cooker. There is no need to soak them the previous day like we do for red beans. Fill the cooker halfway with water and rinse the lentils by rubbing them between your fingertips. The water may appear slightly dirty. Drain this water. Repeat 3 or 4 times, until the water remains relatively clear. Drain. Now add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms on the surface. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes. Seal the cooker shut and allow the pressure to build up. When the cooker reaches full pressure, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove the cooker from the heat and allow the pressure to subside naturally. (about 15 minutes) before opening the lid. Tip: I typically cook 3 to 4 cups of beans, cool, store in an air tight container or a bag and freeze.

2. Combine the yogurt, sour cream (if using), salt, garam masala and cayenne (or red chilli powder) in a blender jar. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, to make a smooth, batter-like paste, speckled with brown and red spices.

3. Once the lentils are ready, stir in the butter and the creamy yogurt paste. Let this lentil mixture boil for 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro and Serve with anything - plain rice, pulao, rotis etc.

Have a great weekend ahead.

until next time,

Siri