Spiced Lentil Soup with Bengali Touch

Its being seven days that the New Year ushered in, and I am still in my holiday mood. I couldn’t bring me to write a simple post here. Add to that the winter holidays here in school which means some very relaxed mornings and afternoons for the past two weeks which we the mother and daughter duo seems to enjoy to the fullest. And with that idyllic approach I find it extremely uncanny for me to write here. In case you were waiting for a little update on this blog, you must not disappoint now. Well schools have opened yesterday here so now it’s back to normal routine as of now.

Yesterday was a rainy and cold day. And when it rains we really like to feed our Yin and Yang  both with hearty and warm bowl of soup so that both remains happy and contented.

We are very fond of having biulir dal or korai’er dal or urid dal with warm cooked rice.And we all know aloo posto, korai'er dal (urid dal ) and garam bhat is a classic Bengali Niramish meal combination.
But this time I just made the dal in bulk pureed the entire thing in a food processor and viola we were ready with a hearty and warm soup to accompany our dinner.

Fennel ( mouri) and ginger ( ada bata ) are the two key ingredients in this soup as these are the base ingredients which adds flavour to a typical Bengali Korai dal or Biulir dal . This lentil soup is very healthy and filling by itself. Potato has been added to give a thick consistency.

Creamy Lentil Soup
Serves4-5
Recipe requirements
About ½ cup of urid dal/korai’er dal/biulir dal
2-3 tbs of masoor dal or any other dal like moong dal etc
2 medium potatoes
1 tomato or 8-10 cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
4 -5 tsp of fennel seeds lightly toasted/roasted over tava or skillet
2-3 tsp of dried oregano
2-3 tsp of whole black pepper freshly grounded
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1-2 tbs  of butter
About ½ cup of double cream/heavy cream

Method
Wash and rinse urid dal and masoor dal 2-3 times very well but not that vigouresly otherwise whatever minerals left after polishing it will be all gone by the time it’s ready to cook.

Now add about 3-4 cups of water in a pressure cooker.
Add in the washed dales.

Add in chopped tomatoes, potatoes, ginger and garlic.

Potato has been added to give a thick consistency. If you wish you may use corn flour or any other normal flour for thickening the soup. When to add the flour , well that depend, personally I prefer to add at the end and give a quick boil to the soup , stirring it continuously to prevent any lumps in the soup. However since we are using potatoes this will provide that thick and smooth texture we want in our soup.

Add in seasonings-fennel; roast it slightly over tava/skillet

And some freshly crushed or grounded whole black pepper and salt. If you have mortar-pestle then uses it and in case you don’t have like me-crush it with the help of rolling pin over cutting board.
If you wish you may add dried herbs like dried oregano or parsley, whatever suits you. But make sure it doesn’t overpower the flavour of fennel.

Lock the pressure cooker lid.
Pressures cook the entire thing for two whistles and then lower the flame. Cook it for 4-5 mints.Add in crushed red pepper flakes and butter.
Open the lid when the pressure subsides.Now process the entire thing in a food processor and get a puree for the soup.It saves a lot of energy and can be made quickly.And dont forget to clean the weight/whistle and the rubber string of the lid on a regular basis.

Add in cream to the soup reserving little bit for decorations at the time of serving. Give a good stir to the entire soup and let it simmer slowly for 3-4 mints at med-low. When you are ready to serve just warm it a little bit more. Since I have been using cream that is being taken out directly from fridge and being added here so the requirement to simmer for 4-5 mints. But otherwise if you are using cream kept at room temperature then there is no need to again heat it. I often prepare it in bulk and keep it fridge. It stays fresh for 2 -3 days. At the time of serving just reheat it with little bit more of water and fennel powder as it tends to thicken if kept for longer time in fridge.

Serve hot with any bread or even rotis.Enjoy the warm hearty soup to keep you warm and cozy.

Happy Cooking Friends