A soup from dal and vegetables

thickened, to eat without side dish, i was surprised with the aromatic and rich flavor!

Dal is the Indian therm for pulses. For 4-6 servings you wil need 1 hour of preparation and cooking time and this ingredients:

200 g mung beans
1.9 l water
3 t. salt
2 indian laurel leaves
1 cinamon stick
1 t. curcumin
275 g mixed vegetables
1 T. vegan margarine
1 T. coconut oil
1 ½ t. cumin
2 crumbled dry chillies
1 t. ginger
¼ t. asafetida
1 T. fresh chopped parsley
2 sliced and washed organic lemons

Two ingredients I want to discuss further before we start:

True cinnamon (cinnamomum verum), or ceylon cinnamon is a little pricier than the common chinese cinnamon, contains significantly less coumarin and is therefore easier on the liver, is brighter and it’s bark is thin and paperlike, usually multiple layers instead of one thick layer as the chinese cinnamon has.
It’s taste is delicate, sweet with subtle notes of clove, so ideal for desserts. For stews i prefer the pungent, full-bodied taste of the chinese variant (cinnamomum cassia).

Indian bay leaves, also called tejpat, are twice as long and wider than common bay laurel leaves and impart a strong cinnamon-like aroma, while the bay laurel leaf's aroma is more like pine and lemon.

Wash and weed out the dal, as there could be little stones in it. Cook the water with salt, indian laurel leaves and cinnamon stick. If you want a thicker consistency of the dal to eat it as a main course, use half the salt.

the main actors in this play

Add the dal to the boiling water. After boiling again, partially put the lid on and cook for 20 minutes on medium or longer for thicker consistency. The dal should be soft. Skim the foam.

i just love my drop kitchen scale

Add curcumin, vegan margarine, chopped vegetables, put lid on and cook til the vegetables soften and the dal dissolves. Put the flame on small, this is crucial as we will add hot oil in the next step. In a sauté pan add the coconut oil and roast the cumin and crumbled chili, when brown, add ginger and asafetida and wait a few seconds. Then with a fast move pour this masala into the dal, don’t burn yourself!

what's cookin good lookin?

Immediately put the lid on and cook for another 5 minutes. If the aroma of the cumin spreads throughout the whole kitchen, you know that it is ready to serve😋

Serve with rice, naan and vegetables and top witch chopped parsley and pieces of lemon.

Every good chef works with acidity, so don’t forget to squeeze those lemons over your meal!

Enjoy!