Chef Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
This wonderfully flavored vegetarian Indian soup is for you vegetarians out there., It is a great soup almost a meal in itself with some crusty buttered bread. It can topped off with a swirl of chili oil if you like things a bit more spicy. (Just smash up some dried chi.ies and simmer them in some vegetable oil for a few minutes cool it don and strain off the chilies before using) I have been posting this weekend recipe idea for a few weeks now and if there is something you are dying to make but not quite sure how to go about it leave a comment with me and I will feature a recipe here for you in the coming weeks….Enjoy!
“Our task must be to free ourselves . . . by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet” Albert Einstein
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
200g red lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
50g soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tsp salt
Preparation
- Rinse the lentils under running water. Keep rinsing until the water starts to run clear, then put the lentils into a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak for 20 minutes.
- Dry fry the cumin and mustard seeds in a pan until the mustard seeds start to pop, taking care not to let them burn. Then grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar, before adding the ginger, chilli, sugar, turmeric and salt continue grinding. You should aim to end up with a thick, brown, aromatic sludge.
- When the lentils have finished soaking, drain off the water, put them in a large saucepan, pour over 1.5 litres of water freshly boiled and bring back to the boil.
- When it has boiled, skim the froth from the surface, turn down the heat and simmer slowly for 25 minutes.
- When the time has elapsed, add the can of tomatoes, bring back to the boil and simmer again for another ten minutes.
- Take the soup off the heat and use a hand blender (if you don’t have one use a normal blender) to puree it to a smooth consistency and then return to the heat. If soup is too thick thin out with some vegetable stock
- If you taste the soup now it will be bland in the extreme however, do not despair. Add the spice mix to the soup, which will transform it almost immediately, going from dull to amazing
- Continue to cook the soup for another 5-10 minutes over a low heat and then turn off the heat, cover and leave it to stand for at least 20 minutes, which allows the flavors to develop. If you can, make it the day before you want to serve it and chill in the fridge overnight as it tastes even better.
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