Another food post for the  ~faccc2 group!

Dal
4 servings
(V/VV option)

This boring looking soup is one of my favourites. Absolutely packed with flavor. Dal just means lentils or any split pulse. It's also the name of any number of soups made with dal. Everyone makes it a little different. I don't even make it the same way every time, this was just how I made it this time. This is sort of a rich, restaurant style dal bc it has lots of butter, as well as cream added at the end. I also wanted something spicy and without too much 'sweet' spices bc I just made korma a few days ago.

Omit cream and use oil instead of butter for healthier/vegan version. Adjust spices as desired. I tend to add a bit more than listed here bc I like strong flavor. This soup is friendly to western sensibilities because most of the spices that are usually added whole to the oil and carefully avoided while eating are instead ground and added later. If desired, remove the black cardamoms and bay leaves just before serving, which are the only large whole spices not ground in the dish.


for dal:
- basics: 3c water, 4 tsp salt
- pulses: 1c masoor dal aka brown lentils
- spices: 2 indian bay leaves, 2 black cardamoms, 1 tsp tumeric

cooking the dal:
- rinse dal, then soak in the 3c water for 1 hour
- using same water, add the spices & salt and cook the dal
- you can use pressure cooker (follow manufacturer instructions) or simmer covered for 45 min to an hour or until dal is fairly soft (may take up to 2 hours if dal is very old)
- set aside, keeping all water etc


tadka/tempering/soup paste:
- fats: 1/3 stick butter or 1/3c oil
- misc: 1/2 tsp hing
- whole seeds: 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp brown mustard, 1/2 tsp fenugreek, 1/2 tsp nigella
- spices to be powdered: 3 cloves, 10 black peppercorns, 2 green cardamom, 3-5 dried red chilies, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- aromatics/vegetables: med red onion, 2-4 green chilis, med tomato, 3 tsp ginger paste, 5 tsp garlic paste, cilantro
- finish: cilantro, garam masala, cream, curry leaves

make powder:
- lightly dry pan roast listed ingredients for the powder (optional)
- grind to fine powder

cooking the tadka/paste:
- heat oil/butter, medium high
- lower heat to medium and stir in seeds. when they start to snap or turn brown, add hing
- stir, cook 30 sec, or until med brown color/smoking, or if seeds are snapping a lot move to next step
- add well diced onion and green chilies, pinch of salt. fry until browning starts
- add 1/3c water and cook down until oil separates and water is cooked out
- add ginger and garlic paste, cook until raw smell is gone or browning starts
- add 1/3c water and cook down until oil separates and water is cooked out
- add spice powder and fry for around 30 sec or until ingredients stick to pan and smoke slightly
- add well diced tomato and some cilantro. stir to remove ingredients stuck to bottom of pan
- if needed, add splashes of water to assist in getting spices from the pan
- cook until tomato is well done, ~10 min, adding water once or twice as needed
- done when it's well cooked and oil is separating from the paste

finishing the soup:
- combine dal, including cooking water and spices, and paste.
- stir well, smashing some dal to thicken or adding water to thin it out as needed
- add cream and garam masala to taste, cook for a minute
- finish with cilantro, and salt if needed

optional finish:
- heat tablespoon of butter or oil and fry 7-10 curry leaves for a few seconds
- add to soup or pour on top of individual servings
- You can do this when you heat up leftover too; fry the leaves then add the cold soup to the pot to finish reheating