Monday, September 29, 2008

Lentil Soup, with Red Pepper & Ginger

I like having parripu from time to time. Its very smooth and soothing, really, if its made right. Typically, I don't like the traditional Sri Lankan way of doing dhal; I like a garlic sauteed dhal with added butter.
But recently I wanted some thing soupier, so I turned my mind to lentil soup. After a couple of attempts this is what I came up with -- and it was very very good!

Lentil Soup, with red peper & ginger

To fix this -- for one person -- boil 1/4 cup of mysoor dhal in a cup of water, with a large, chopped, red pepper added, and three cloves of cleaned chopped garlic, a pinch of tumaric for colour and some salt. The dhal should be cooked in 20 mins or so, and then I add about half the amount of home made chicken stock, and reduce it down a little. (If you want this totally vegitarian, consider some celery/cabage stock.) Anyway, then grate in an inch of ginger into it, and puree the whole thing. Right at the end, fold in two large spoons of coconut milk power, for a nice creamy texure.
Or fresh cream, if you have it, and prefer that.
Garnish with red pepper slivers, and have it hot!

Ginger hightlights and a red pepper after taste, sandwiches the comforting taste of coconut creamed dhal, that we all grew up with.

And this time, with a difference!

Update: This recipe was published in print, in Spectrum vol1(4), April 2009.

Published!

4 comments:

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

Looks and sounds seriously good!

Sach said...

"and then I add about half the amount of home made chicken stock, and reduce it down a little."


What does that mean? I don't get.
Do tell!
I wanna try this one.
It looks so yummy!

Pradeep Jeganathan said...

ok:
Lets say after cooking the dhal you have a cup or so. you should able to tell by looking at the pan. (if you can't, add a cup of water, when the pan is empty, and check the level. then another cup, and check -- so that you get to know your pan. for dishes like this, for one, i use a small stainless steel saucepan).

ok, if you have a cup of dhal, add half a cup of chicken stock. for two cups of dhal add a cup.

then simmer it more, so that it get less. that's what i mean reduce -- so that say its back to one cup, if that's what the dhal amount was.

ok, hopes that's clear? :)

Sach said...

Ohhh... get it now.
I will try this coming weekend and let you know. Though the chances are it will turn out pretty bad - I'm not the best around when it comes to cooking! LOL...
Thanks mate!

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