India · Soups · Vegetarian
Dal — Spiced Indian Lentil Soup
A warming Indian red lentil soup tempered with cumin, turmeric, coriander, and ginger — finished with a sizzling spiced ghee pour. One of the most comforting and nourishing dishes in Indian home cooking. Serve with warm chapati or basmati rice.
30 min 190 kcal 2 serves Medium🌿Vegetarian🇮🇳India★★★★★4.7· 6 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 150 gred lentils
- 800 mlwater
- 1 tomato
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tspfresh ginger
- 1 tspturmeric
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- ¼ tspground chili
- 1 tbspvegetable oil or ghee
- salt to taste
- fresh cilantro for serving
- lemon or lime wedges for serving
Method
- Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Cook in a pot with turmeric and water for 15-20 minutes until soft. Season with salt toward the end.
- In a small skillet, heat oil or ghee. Add cumin seeds and fry until they start to pop. Add onion, garlic, and ginger — cook until golden and soft. Add coriander, chili, and tomato. Cook until fragrant and the tomato breaks down.
- Pour the spiced mixture into the lentils and stir to combine. Add water for desired consistency. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with fresh cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge and warm chapati or rice.
FAQ
Red lentils (masoor dal) cook fastest and break down into a creamy texture — ideal for soup. Yellow lentils or chickpeas can substitute but will need more cooking time.
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Comments (2)
Дал — это не просто варёная чечевица. Это чечевица с тадкой — обжаренными в масле специями, которые вливаются в готовое блюдо в самом конце. Без тадки дал — это каша для больных. С тадкой — это блюдо, ради которого стоит жить. Кумин и чеснок обжариваются до золотистого цвета за 30 секунд, не прозевайте.
Start with cold water for dal — spiced indian lentil soup. Adding red lentils to cold water and bringing it up slowly extracts far more flavor than dumping ingredients into a rolling boil. The difference in depth is significant.