Spiced Lentil Chard Soup - Hariyali Dal
Spiced Lentil Chard Soup - Hariyali Dal. Creamy Red Lentils Cooked with Chard or other greens, tempered with whole spices. Easy weeknight Dahl. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Lentils:
- 1 cup red lentils masoor dal, or use split peas, or mung dal or chana dal
- 3 to 3.5 cups water
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 fresh green chile finely chopped or grated
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 tsp or more salt
- 3 to 4 large chard leaves chopped 2 cups loosely packed greens
- 1/4 cup thin cashew cream or coconut milk or other non dairy cream or milk
- 1 to 2 tsp lime juice
Tadka/Tempering:
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green cardamom pods cracked open
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 dried red chilies broken for more heat
- 3 cloves of garlic
Instructions
- Cook the lentils in a saucepan or a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) until done to preference. Saucepan- Cook the red lentils + water over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes. (30 to 40 minutes for split peas or split chickpeas(chana dal).)
- Pressure cooker/Instant pot: Manual for 1 to 2 mins. Natural release.
- Add ginger and chile and mix into the simmering lentils. You can also make a paste of the ginger chile and add to the saucepan. Add turmeric, salt, chard and cashew cream and mix in. Cook for another 10 mins over medium heat. Add lime juice to taste and continue to simmer over low heat while you make the tempering. At this point you can also add in 1 chopped tomato.
Make the tempering:
- Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them start to change color. 2 mins. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and red chilies and cook for a minute or until fragrant. Reduce heat to low-medium. Add garlic and cook until golden. 4 to 5 mins.
- Add this tempering to the simmering lentils, mix in. Cook for a minute. Let the Dal sit for a few minutes for the tempering to infuse. Taste and adjust salt and heat. Garnish with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Serve with cooked rice or grains or flatbread. You can remove the cinnamon stick and cloves just before serving. I usually leave it in and whoever gets it fishes it out. The whole spices cotinue to infuse the dish as they sit.
Notes
Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1530IU | Vitamin C: 76.9mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4.9mg