Recipe courtesy of Bal Arneson

Dal Soup

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 1 hr
  • Prep: 5 min
  • Inactive: 20 min
  • Cook: 35 min
Advertisement

Ingredients

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

2 tablespoons garam masala, recipe follows

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 cup brown lentils

5 cups water

Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper

Few fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Garam Masala

1/2 cup coriander seeds

1/2 cup cumin seeds

1/4 cup dried curry leaves* (See Cook's Note)

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds

5 whole cloves

2 black cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

2 bay leaves

2 dried red chiles

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to get hot. Add the garlic, garam masala, cumin seeds, and turmeric and cook for 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lentils and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

To make garam masala:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes. 
  3. Transfer the mixture to an electric spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle and grind by hand. Grind to a fine powder. Store the garam masala in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Cook’s Note

Can be found at specialty Asian and Indian markets.

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

rusty E.

Great recipe! I added lemon juice at the end to balance it out.<br />Served with some toasted squash seeds, super delicious!

See All Reviews