Lentil Turmeric Soup (Kachi Haldi ka Soup)

Winters are here and so are my soup recipes. I am a big soup lover and like my soups to have substance, which is why you would see me make chunky hearty soups often as compared to the soupy ones. I like making Minestrone soup or this Moroccon Harira soup because they are complete meals in themselves.

Now, I got some gorgeous Raw turmeric from my mother’s garden and I wanted to try something other than my usual Instant Raw Turmeric Pickle. This is when I invented this quick soup recipe of Lentil Turmeric Soup. I added tomatoes and carrots to balance the earthy strong flavor of raw turmeric. Raw turmeric is a wonderful antiseptic anti-inflammatory spice. It gives your body a lovely warmth in winters and I enjoy adding it to my milk too.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 2-3
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Low

INGREDIENTS: 

1. Masoor Dal/Pink Lentil –  1/2 cup
2. Tomatoes – 3, large
3. Carrots – 2
4. Fresh Turmeric roots – 2 medium size
5. Onion – 1 small
6. Garlic – 3-4 pods
7. Butter – 2 tablespoons (or less to taste)
8. Coriander leaves – a few
9. Sesame seeds – 1 teaspoon
10. Coconut milk – 2 tablespoons
11. Black pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
12. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

1. Grater
2. Blender
3. Pressure Cooker
4. Tempering Pan

RECIPE:

1. Wash and soak the lentil for 10 minutes.
2. Add the lentils into a pressure cooker and add also wash and chop some tomatoes and add them to the pressure cooker.
3. Peel and grate the carrots and turmeric roots and add them to the pressure cooker along with 2.5 cups of water.
4. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt (or to taste) and place on high heat.
5. After one whistle, lower the heat for 5 minutes and then keep aside until the pressure is released.
6. Take a blender and puree the soup to get a smooth consistency and keep back on flame. Condense the soup to the desired consistency.

7. In a small pan, add some butter. Alternatively, you can also use olive oil or any other vegetable oil but I feel that butter adds an incredible flavor to the soup.
8. Add finely chopped onion and garlic to the soup and cook them until the onions turn transparent and lose their raw smell.

9. Mix this tempering to the soup and mix well.
10. Add the soup to soup bowls, and top it up with some coconut milk, coriander leaves, and sesame seeds.

Relish this seasonal Lentil Turmeric soup hot with some garlic bread (Like I did 🙂 ).