Curried Lentil Soup

The weather is taking us on a roller coaster ride here lately. We've had a high of 83 F one day and a low of 33 F the next. So I made soup to warm us up, and then made it spicy to cool us down. It hits all the right spots.

This is my favorite dal recipe, made into soup with more water, carrots, canned tomatoes, and a tweak of the spices.

I'm sending this to My Legume Love Affair, hosted this month by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes.

Curried Lentil Soup

1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, minced - about 1 cup
1/2 carrot, peeled and diced - about 1/3 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 sprig curry leaves, minced - about 9 fresh or 12 frozen (optional)
3/4 cup split red lentils
5-1/2 cups water
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 teaspoon salt
fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a soup pot. Sauté onion until tender and starting to become golden, 5-7 minutes. Add carrot and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper and curry leaves if using. Sauté for about a minute, or until the spices are fragrant.

Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until lentils are tender. Uncover and add tomatoes and salt. Heat through. Taste and adjust spices and salt. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4