Green Split Lentil Dahl ~ High Protein South Asian Comfort Food

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High in protein*, this delicious split pulses soup finds its roots in Southern Asian countries. It basically consists of a single or a mix of dahl varieties boiled with tumeric, salt and pepper to taste, and mixed with some fried vegetables, and it is typically served along with naan bread (that usually contains cow’s milk, especially if store bought – I’ll post my vegan recipe soon), steamed or boiled rice, or chapati (from Hindi “chapat” that means flat/slap and stands for the peculiar method this type of flat bread is made).
My take on this recipe is enriched by a blend of spices and finished with some tomatoes, fresh spinach and a drizzle of lemon juice, for a lovely extra kick. An easy and quick treat to make, one of my Indian favourites actually, along with Tofu Makhani (recipe coming soon as well), that is definitely going to impress every guest of yours.
*roughly 10 grams of proteins per 100 grams of pulses (dried).
**Ingredients:** *roughly 10 grams of proteins per 100 grams of pulses (dried).*
– 300 gr Moong dal chilka (Green Split Lentils)
– 100 gr Spinach
– 200 ml Soy Milk
– 700 ml Vegetable Broth
– 50 gr Tomatoes
– 1 Red Onion
– 1 Clove Garlic
– 1 inch Ginger
– 3 tbs Olive Oil
– Juice of 1 Lemon
– 1 Bay Leaf
– 2 ts Tumeric
– 1 ts Curry Powder
– 1/3 ts Mustard Seeds (Grinded)
– 1 ts Dried Coriander
– 1 ts Chilli Flakes
– Fresh Parsley
**Method:**
1. Pour over the lentils some hot water (this will cut their cooking time a bit).
2. In a large pan put the onion (finely chopped), grated garlic and ginger, bay leaf and olive oil. Season with salt and cook on medium heat until soft.
3. Add all the spices: turmeric, curry, mustard, coriander and chilly flakes, and roast them for a couple of minutes.
4. Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to the pan. Leave them for 3-4 minutes to absorb all the flavours of the spices, then add the stock. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
5. In the meantime roughly chop the parsley and cut the tomatoes into cubes. Add tomatoes, parsley and spinach to the pan, give it a little stir then add the soy milk. Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and stir once again.
6. Serve hot with some naan bread or rice