Red Lentil Soup

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Published: December 30, 2008

Red lentils are a beautiful color orange when dry, but they become a rather drab yellow when they cook. This can be disappointing, until you taste the lentils.

Recipes for Health

This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.

See previous recipes »

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
1 medium or large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground
2 teaspoons hot curry powder
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice
1 pound red lentils (about 2 1/8 cups), washed and picked over
2 quarts water, chicken stock, vegetable stock

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
Cayenne to taste (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lime
For garnish:
Chopped fresh cilantro
Thickened yogurt
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cumin, coriander, and curry powder. Stir together for about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant, and stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add salt to taste.
2. Stir in the lentils and water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, until the lentils have fallen apart and thickened the soup. Using the back of your spoon, mash the lentils against the side of the pot to thicken the soup further. Add the pepper, taste, and add cayenne if you want more spice. Taste and adjust salt. Stir in the lime juice.
3. If you wish, puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender, holding a towel over the lid to prevent hot soup from splashing out, and return to the pot. Heat through and serve, topping each bowl with a dollop of yogurt and a generous sprinkling of chopped cilantro.
Note: When I was developing this soup, I served it two ways: as a rustic, thick lentil and tomato soup, and as a puree. My 10-year-old son liked it better as a thick lentil soup, and I preferred the texture and especially the look of the puree. You can try it both ways.
Yield: Serves 6
Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead. It will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.

Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 360; total fat: 6.8g; saturated fat: 0.7g; cholesterol: 0mg; sodium: 1032mg; total carbohydrates: 54.7g; dietary fiber: 25.3g; sugars: 6.8g; protein: 22.1g (Nutritional Information provided by calorie-count.com)

Borrowed from
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/health/nutrition/30recipehealth.html


Note: The original author of the recipe!

Note: I didn't have hot curry powder so I substituted in mild curry powder, chili powder, ginger and a bit more garlic powder. Soooo yummy! I also used pre-ground ingredients (and no lime), ( I did not toast cumin, etc) and it still came out pretty swell. The more tender love and care that goes into it, I'm sure, the better it will turn out.