by Ratna
On the finish line, Phew! I have never run a marathon. The Lentil Recipe Revelation Challenge was the closest I got to one. Ten days, Five recipes. Preparing a recipe, testing and tasting it, pictures, text, edit…. Just when I pictured myself stretching my stride to the maximum and emptying the water bottle on my head I feel a light pat on my back. It wasn’t Abebe Bikila , “Aaj ki banale?”, it was my husband N enquiring what I cooked today. I came back to reality. There were no audiences in the sweltering heat cheering me on either side of the road. I was in fact in the comfort of my own kitchen. The snow on the ground outside, assured me I was still in the Prairies. This is my fifth and final entry for “Best in the Freestyle Category“. This experience was beyond fun. What is life without a bit of adrenaline rush?
Split and skinned black lentils are a staple with rice. I developed it into a soup, without being in one. I added green peas for flavour and colour. After gazing out in the white wilderness for the last five months, my eyes refuse anything without colour now. This is a super easy recipe that can be enjoyed with either Naan or any crusty bread.
“Eta Gawrom kale khetam na?”, We enjoyed it in summer didn’t we, reminded N. This lentil helps cool the body. So one can enjoy it as a Gazpacho too in hot days. Spring where are you?
Friends you can read about my entry in “Best in Appetizer” here. Best in Main course”, here. “Best in Salad” here. The luscious Trifle in “Best dessert or baked good” here. Please don’t forget to leave a comment below this post, I need your help. Part of the criteria in judging is of course, its popularity in social media. Will you “like” this and all the previous ones in the Facebook page of Canadian lentils.ca ? Please. Thank you so much for your time.
Recipe:
Ingredients;
Split and skinned black lentils One cup
Green peas Half cup
Asafoetida or Hing Small pinch
Cumin seeds One tsp
Fennel seeds One tsp
Ginger One Tbsp grated.
Dry red chilli Half, optional
Ghee One Tbsp
Salt To taste
Method;
Wash a cup of lentil and boil it with a bit of salt and the grated ginger. I used a pressure cooker. Waited for one whistle and let the pressure release itself before I opened the lid.
Thaw the peas. Put the boiled lentils and the peas in a blender. Keep aside.
Dry roast the cumin and fennel seeds together with the dry red chilli ( if using it ). As soon as the seeds changes colour to light brown, take it out , grind and keep aside.
Pour the ghee in a pan on high heat. Add the Hing and reduce the gas to medium and as soon as you get a nice aroma, close the gas. Add it to the lentil and peas mix. Add water to bring it to the consistency of your liking.. We like it a bit thick here. Garnish with the ground spices. Enjoy.
Inside Scoop,
The green peas give the sweetness to the soup, which can be balanced with the chilli, if you prefer. We like it with a squirt of lemon too.
If you are new to Ghee, here is how you can make it at home.
Great flavor infused soup. Lovely recipes.
Thanks for visiting Lail
So glad you joined the challenge! It is fun, isn’t it? How did I miss all your posts. Lovely recipes and great read. I had fun in this challenge. I think we all need to push our limits at times and do things like this. 🙂 And your soup looks lovely.
Thank you for letting us know about the challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for your kind words Debjani
Looks delicious!
Thanks Amrita!
Looks like this will be a change up from our regular pea soup. We will definitely try this recipe too.
Thank you
Let me know how it goes.
Thanks for the comment.