The humble red lentils are powerhouse of nutrition. Fully loaded with protein, folic acid, iron, fibre, vitamins and minerals, this is one food that makes for a healthy choice in your meals.
Red lentils are easy to cook and has a mild flavour making it easy to consume. Thanks to its high fibre content, it aids in lowering your cholesterol keeping your healthy in turn. It is a also an excellent source of lean proteins for vegetarians and vegans.
If you are on a low GI or low fat/calorie diet, this soup is a delightful addition.
This quick-cook soup is loaded with veggies and lentils that are cooked just right in a pressure cooker thereby sealing all the flavours and retaining the nutrients from the ingredients in the soup.
Ingredients
- Red lentils/ masoor dal – 1 ½ cups
- Onion – 1 (large), finely chopped
- Carrot – 1 (large), peeled and cut into small pieces
- Celery (optional) – 2 stalks, ends and tops trimmed, chopped into small pieces
- Capsicum – ½, deseeded and chopped
- Cauliflower – 6 to 8 florets
- Bay leaf – 1
- Water – 5 cups
- Salt and pepper – To season
Directions
- Wash the lentils thoroughly. Optionally, you could soak the lentils for about 15 minutes.
- If you choose to soak the lentils, drain the water and wash it once. Keep aside.
- In a pressure cooker, add the lentils, vegetables, bay leaf, water and salt.
- Cover the pressure cooker and allow it to cook for 4 whistles.
- Once the pressure settles, open the cooker and serve.
- While serving, scoop out lentils, the water and veggies. Transfer the contents into serving bowls.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Tips:
- If you don’t have or don’t use a pressure cooker, you could make the soup in a pot.
- You could season it with spice powders like garam masala, curry powder or any other of your choice.
- Add or omit vegetables depending on your preference.
- You could use other fresh/dried herbs to flavour the soup.
- Reduce the amount of water if you like your soup thick and chunky.
- I used water, as I did not have stock. You could replace water with stock for a more intense flavour.