Ingredients
Lentils: I use split red lentils, popularly known as masoor dal in India. This red lentil cooks faster and is also very good for weight loss. But you can use any one lentil or combine lentils. Some of the lentils that taste the best for soup are yellow, red, brown, or green, toor dal (split pigeon peas). The taste, texture, and cooking time will vary depending on the lentil used. Check out the list here of types of lentils and Indian and English names.Oil: Olive oil, coconut oil, homemade ghee (brown butter), or any plain neutral oil works.For flavor: Onion, tomato, garlic, and green chile are used to enhance the flavor of the soup.Spices: Red chile powder or paprika, coriander powder, and cumin powder to make it Moroccan-style lentil soup, or add turmeric and asafoetida (hing) to make Indian-style dal soup.Lemon Juice: Squeeze lemon juice just before serving for better flavor.Liquid: Water or any broth of your choice can be used to cook the lentils. See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations
The above recipe is classic and traditional Indian lentil soup (dal) or Moroccan lentil soup based on the combination of ingredients you add mentioned in the spices list.With additional ingredients, you can make variations to this lentil soup. Let us know which one did you try. Italian-style lentil soup (Zuppa Di Lenticchie): Use celery and carrots and saute them with onions. Then along with the broth, you can use white wine and garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley.Mexican-style lentil soup: Add corn, jalapeno, and cilantro. Top it with sliced avocado and lemon juice.Lentil and vegetable soup: To make more nutritious soup or serve it as a complete meal, add vegetables like zucchini, beans, carrot, celery, baby corn, bell pepper, kale, spinach, mushroom, or herbs like mint.Creamy coconut lentil soup: If you like creamy lentil soup, use a food processor, hand blender, or grinder to blend it and adjust the final consistency with coconut milk or cream.Spicy lentil soup: If you like to add more heat, increase the number of green chilies, garnish with red pepper flakes or pepper powder, or sprinkle some cayenne powder.Lentil ham soup: Add 1 cup of cooked ham to this soup after you have finished cooking.
Step-by-step instructions
Pressure cooker lentil soup
Wash the lentil or dal in water until water runs clean and drain. Keep this aside. In a pressure cooker, add oil. Once hot, add onion, ginger, garlic cloves, and green chile (turmeric powder and hing if adding). Saute until the onion becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute. Finally, add the lentils, water, and salt and mix well. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles on medium flame. Once the pressure drops, open the lid. The lentil should be soft at this stage.
To serve the soup at this stage, you have three options :
Blend the soup to a coarse or smooth texture based on your liking. Transfer the soup back to the pot, add red chile powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, cilantro, and water for desired consistency, and simmer. Switch off the flame. Add lemon juice and mix. Taste and adjust salt and seasoning. Serve hot, and enjoy.
Instant pot lentil soup
Drizzle oil into your IP. Set to SAUTE. Once hot, add onion, garlic, green chile, ginger, and until onion becomes translucent. This may take 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute for one more minute. Finally, add the washed and drained lentils, 4 cups of water, and salt to taste and mix well. Cover your IP lid with a pressure valve to sealing. Set on HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any pressure manually. Open the lid, and at this point, you can puree the soup to desired consistency using an immersion blender, regular blender, or mixer. This will make your soup creamy. Transfer the soup back to your pot. Turn on SAUTE mode, add red chile powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, cilantro, and water if required to adjust consistency, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off your IP. Add lemon juice and mix. Serve hot, and enjoy.
One pot stovetop lentil soup
If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook the masoor dal or red lentils in a pot on the stovetop. Follow the same steps as you do for a pressure cooker till you add lentils and water. Then, bring it to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until lentils are cooked completely, stirring once or twice during the process. Add extra water if needed. Then follow the same steps as the pressure cooker method for blending and heating again.
What to serve with lentil soup?
Here are some of the best accompaniments for lentil soup.
Bread: toasted bread slices, easy homemade naan bread, pita bread. Vegetables: any roasted vegetable, roasted cauliflower, garlic roasted potatoes, pan-roasted sweet potatoes. Salad: Soup and salad is always the best combo. Try out lentil soup with cucumber dill salad, easy greek style salad.
More Lentil and Dal Recipes
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Recipe card
