Snowed in? Lovely, no doubt, but maybe not so much if you have to be at work this morning, and must shovel your way out in sub-zero, real-feel temps.
Brrrr…view from my window – there’s a lot to shovel.
Here’s a soup I made – mostly from pantry staples. It’s subcontinent heat soothes my tired winter soul, while the nourishment from the lentils, kale and spices provides a welcome antidote from my overdose of fa-la-la-la-la I’m packing away with the ornaments.
You may not have access to the seasonings I used in the following recipe, but not to worry. Your soup will be delicious with whatever curry seasonings you can devise. According to the label on my ajwain seed bottle, it is “… a traditional addition to many Indian and Pakistani dishes. Shaped like a celery seed, ajwain is especially useful in vegetarian lentil and bean dishes, party as a flavoring, party because ajwain has the ability to temper the effects of a legume based diet.” Good to know!
Lentil soups are the easiest soups to make and thicken to a lovely consistency. Really, all you need are a few aromatics – a carrot, onion, perhaps a stalk of celery – water or stock, lentils, and pantry spices and 40 minutes later you’ve a scratch-made, nourishing soup. Potatoes or eggplant on hand? Dice ’em up and toss ’em into the brew. I enjoy the cooling counterpoint of a dollop of plain Greek yogurt spooned over the soup before eating.
Click here for my favorite collection of soup recipes handy to have when hunger taps the frosty panes.
Peggy this looks absolutely delicious, and perfect for a day like this! Thanks for sharing and stay warm!
You too, Vicki! My husband enlightened me to the fact it’s 7 degrees out there right now, but the temps will be dropping through the day. I guess I’ll choose now to start digging! Stay safe! Peggy
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! Used it as a small soup starter with yogurt on top, and served Cooking Light’s Chicken Biryani for main course. What a great combo. We love so many of your recipies and this will be added to the collection. THANKS!
Hi Jean – thanks for the feedback and delighted you enjoyed the soup. It would be fantastic with Chicken Biryani. My friend from India shared her recipe (in my search engine) and I’m looking forward to checking out Cooking Light’s version. Thanks for the tip! Peggy
Hello Peggy, this recipe looks lovely and I want to try it today! Unfortunately, while my pantry staples include mahlab, garam masala, ras el hamout, and kalanji, they do not include ajwain! What would you suggest for a substitute? I’ve read thyme or thyme/oregano.
Hi Nick – Your source was correct. I’m sniffing it now and it smells like a very pungent cross between thyme and oregano – perhaps more tilted into the thyme arena but the aroma is more intense. Your collection sounds lovely – I’m sure you’ll sniff, add and taste until the flavor profile will be a unique Roumel Masala! Enjoy!
Hi Peggy, thanks for the quick response! One more question – the ingredients call for black cumin seeds (which I interpret as nigella sativa, the black seeds that look like sesame seeds, sometimes called kalanji or chernuska). However, your directions do not refer to black cumin seeds, but instead black mustard seeds, which are not in the ingredient list, and something different?
Sorry – I’m not usually this high maintenance 🙂
Ha ha! Thanks for that catch, Nick! I used black CUMIN seeds but I had mustard on the brain (which would not be bad!) Thanks for the catch and I’ll make the change.
I made the soup today, it was delicious. With the substitutions I noted, for ajwain and black mustard seeds instead of black cumin! Added a finely diced sweet potato with the lentils and a few squirts of lemon at the end (love lemon with both lentil and kale). Thank you so much for this recipe, Peggy. I have a fussy vegan at home (whoops – redundancy) and she will love this.
The addition of diced sweet potatoes is masterful! Bravo and thanks for your input; a lentil soup to be loved!