This Indian soup came about on a Monday when neither of us had planned anything for dinner and I decided to open the cupboards and make something out of what we had available to avoid a trip to the grocery store.
A while ago we went all preparing for an apocalypse and stocked up on boxes of lentils, chickpeas and coconut milk. As well as having a few vegetables left from last week’s dinners it became clear that all of this could become a delicious indian lentil soup.
I hate to brag but this is definitely one of my strengths. Where Lasse tends to want to follow a recipe to the point, I love cooking without rules (note Lasse: this is true). Maybe it’s because I feel a lot less pressure when no one really knows what the end result was supposed to taste, but anyways.. I like to take what’s available and make it work.
So, bear in mind that the amount of all of the ingredients could easily be adjusted to what you have available. This is kind of like a guide more than anything.
Ingredients:
- 1 onion (red or yellow)
- 3 cloves garlic
- A big chunk of ginger
- 2 red chili
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 parsnip
- 1 box lentils
- 1 box chickpeas
- 1 vegetar broth
- 1 liter water
- 2 boxes of coconut milk
- Curry
- Turmeric
- Cumin
Instructions:
To get started heat som oil in a skillet. Cut the garlic, chili and ginger and let it simmer a bit before you add some chopped onion. Remember that this is all going to be mashed with a hand blender in the end so you really don’t have to cut the stuff very neat and pretty.
Let the onion base simmer until it’s all mushy and golden.
It’s time to chop some sweet potato (you can also use basic potatoes) and parsnip and through it in with the rest. Let it cook for a bit before you add the seasoning. Depending on how spicy you like it, add a bit of cumin, curry and tumeric powder.
If you want some extra flavor pour in a liter of vegetable broth, or you can just add good old water.
Bring it all to a light boil and add lentils and chickpeas. Towards the end pour in the coconut milk and let it all simmer for as long as you want, but at least until the sweet potato is soft enough to stab a fork through it with no effort.
Before serving, use a hand blender to make it all smooth as a baby’s bum and voila – your Indian soup is ready.