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Spicy Lentil & Coconut Soup

An easy but so satifsfying plant-based soup. Just before serving, whole spices are fried & stirred in for extra flavour & texture.

Course Soup, Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Vegetarian, Vegan, Indian inspired
Keyword dal
Servings 4 at least

Ingredients

For the soup base:

  • 200 g red lentils washed and drained
  • 400 g tin tomatoes chopped
  • 2 large onions roughly chopped
  • 2 large carrots grated
  • 8 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 thumb sized piece ginger root peeled & grated
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • ½-1 tsp chilli powder
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 litre boiling water
  • salt to taste
  • 400 ml tinned coconut milk reserve 1 tbsp per serving
  • 4 tbsp coriander leaf and stems roughly chopped
  • 4 handfuls cavolo nero (or kale, chard, spinach etc.) tough stems removed, leaves shredded

For the tarka:

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter, ghee, other oil
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 handful curry leaves
  • 1 small red onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1-3 red chillies sliced
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp garam masala

To serve

  • Half a lemon juice only
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaf roughly torn
  • 4-6 tbsp tinned coconut milk reserved from the tin used in the soup base
  • coconut shavings, toasted/untoasted optional
  • slices of red chilli optional

Instructions

For the soup base:

  1. Put all the ingredients for the soup base EXCEPT the salt, coconut milk, coriander and cavolo nero in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

    Turn down the heat, half covering the saucepan with a lid, and simmer until the lentils are soft (20-25 minutes). Stir occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking or boiling dry.

  2. When the lentils are soft, season to taste with salt.

  3. Off the heat, use a stick blender to puree all or half the soup to your desired consistency.

  4. Stir in the coconut milk (keeping back approx 1 tbsp per serving for the garnish) and leave the soup on a low simmer while you make the tarka.

For the tarka:

  1. In a small, deep frying pan heat the oil/ghee/butter over a medium heat.

    Add all of the seeds and the curry leaves. Cook until the seeds start to brown and sputter then turn down the heat.

  2. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, a little salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft.

    Add the garam masala for the final 2 minutes.

To finish and serve the soup:

  1. When the onion in the tarka is soft, pour the contents of the frying pan (including the oil/ghee/butter) into the saucepan containing the soup. Reserve a little of the tarka if you want to use it as a garnish.

  2. Add the coriander leaf and stems and the cavolo nero or other greens to the soup saucepan.

    Simmer until the greens are done to your liking (5-10 min).

  3. Stir in the lemon juice, check the seasoning and add more garam masala if liked.

  4. Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with coriander leaf, a swirl of the reserved coconut milk and, if liked, the reserved tarka, coconut shavings and red chilli.