Vegetarian Spiced Lentil (Dal) Soup with Apples, Ginger and Tumeric
I’m not kidding, this vegetarian soup with lentils is absolutely delicious! Second helpings by everyone at dinner! I love a challenge, especially for the weekly @supperchallenge. For “apple” this week, I want to cook apples in a savory way. When I came across a recipe for Coconut Apple Ginger Dal from Epicurious, I was….well, curious. My version is quite similar, but I want spices to be balanced and pronounced. Admittedly, it is to the detriment of the apple. The apple provides a sweetness and supports the depth of flavors similar to vanilla in a cake. You can’t taste it specifically, but it helps marry all the flavors.
Learning: Lentils are legumes and often classified as a pulse. Pulses are dried edible seeds in the legume family. Being high in protein and fiber, they are also low in fat. <Doesn’t that sound like the makings of a Superfood to you?> While there are plenty of prairie and farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan, did you know Canada supplies 1/3 of the global pulse trade? That’s >25,000 Canadian farmers feeding the world. <Wait, there’s >25,000 farmers in Canada?? Wow!
The term, dal is a term for pulses that don’t need pre-soaking. This recipe is quick for a weekday meal! Check! Vegetarian. Check! Flavorful and good for you! Check! If this recipe is any indication, lentils should get a much better rep!
Vegetarian Spiced Lentil (Dal) Soup with Apples, Ginger and Tumeric
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 1 3″ or 2 tablespoons piece ginger, peeled and finely minced
- 2 large ~2 cups apple unpeeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 1 ½ cups red lentils needs to be red lentils, as these disintegrate
- 1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons table salt + more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- Plain yogurt to garnish
- Cilantro leaves to garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium, cook cayenne pepper, ginger, cumin and turmeric until fragrant. This toasts the spices to draw out the flavors.
- Add coconut oil, onion and garlic and stir to mix with spices and cook until softened.
- Stir in grated apple and red lentils.
- Stir in coconut milk and water.
- Bring spicy coconut milk mixture to a boil.
- Reduce temperature to simmer and cook until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Add lime juice, salt and pepper. Season additionally with salt to taste.
- Serve with a generous spoonful of plain yogurt and cilantro leaves for a nice tang.