Red & Yellow Lentil Soups - Quick and Tasty 🌞

[justaprogressive]

Red Lentil and Rice Soup

This is another of those thick and hearty soups the Indians of Malaysia love to cook. Nothing fancy,
just a bowl of deeply flavored, simple and nourishing food. The combination of red lentils and basmati
rice cooked with the earthiness of paprika and garlic provides layers of savory flavor to the dish.

The onions, garlic, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes and paprika form the base of flavor, therefore, you
would want to make sure this part is browned properly. After that it’s all very straightforward, as the
lentils and rice are added to the pot and cooked until very soft and creamy. Make sure the lentils are
thoroughly cleaned before adding them; run water through them until the water runs clear. Otherwise
you might end up with a lot of foam on the surface. For faster cooking time you could also soak the l
entils in warm water overnight, although I personally don’t fuss with that. It is important that you use
good extra virgin coconut oil or olive oil, and don’t skimp on the quantity. The greatest pleasure in this
soup is in the taste of properly browned onions, which are the key to the success of this dish.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup red lentils
¼ cup white basmati rice
4 tablespoons extra virgin coconut or olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large tomato, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons paprika
6 cups chicken stock or water
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

1 fresh jalapeño, sliced

Wash the lentils and rice together by gently rubbing them with your fingers in a bowl under cold running water
until the water runs clear. Drain the lentils and rice and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring until
they are soften but not brown. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and paprika. Cook, stirring for 1 minute to
infuse the flavors.

Add the lentils and rice into the pot and mix well. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil uncovered over
medium heat. Skim off any foam that may appear on the surface during the cooking process. Lower the heat,
cover the pot and allow the lentils to cook, stirring intermittently, until the rice is cooked about 35minutes.

Add salt and pepper. Taste, add more salt if needed. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If the soup appears too thick add some water. Garnish with jalapeño and serve.

from "The Malaysian Kitchen"
https://themalaysiankitchen.com/cookbooks/

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Yellow Lentil Soup with Cauliflower

This vegan and gluten-free lentil and vegetable dish originated in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. Since 1881,
Brickfields was famous for producing bricks and clay pots due to both the availability of clay and the skillful
craftsmanship of the Indian immigrants who also prepared their dishes in the same type of clay pots in
Malaysia as they had done in India. Up to today, Brickfields has become a popular tourist spot for authentic
Indian cooking prepared in these traditional clay pots.

A dal or lentil dish is cooked with turmeric until it becomes soft and creamy— without adding cream, as is
sometimes done in Indian restaurants in the U.S.. Chopped vegetables such as spinach and cauliflower are
added at the end so that they retain all their vitamins. Finally, the oil infused with cumin and black mustard
seed is added to complete the dal with robust flavor. Serve this hearty soup with naan, pita or wheat bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup split yellow lentils (toor dal)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
½ medium yellow onion, minced
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
8 ounces cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces (about 1 inch)
4 ounces fresh spinach leaves
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Spice-infused oil (Tadka)
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 sprigs fresh curry leaves, stems removed and coarsely chopped


1. Wash the lentils by gently rubbing them with your fingers in a bowl under cold running until the water runs
clear. Drain the lentils.

2. Put the lentils, garlic, onions, turmeric and five cups of water in a large, deep pot. Bring the ingredients to a
boil, partially covered over medium heat. Skim off any foam that may appear on the surface during the cooking
process. Allow the lentils to cook until they are very soft when pressed between your fingers and have a puréed
texture (about forty minutes).

3. Add the cauliflower and spinach leaves and season with salt. Stir gently, cover and cook on medium heat for
three minutes, or until cauliflower appears tender. Taste; add more salt if needed. Keep the lentils on low heat
while you prepare the spice-infused oil.

4. Prepare the spice-infused oil by heating the coconut oil into a small frying pan over medium heat. When the
oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves and immediately cover with a splatter screen
to prevent the mustard seeds from popping out of the pan.

5. When you hear the mustard seeds popping, after a few seconds, turn off the heat and pour the hot spice-infused
oil over the lentils.

6. Add butter if desired, and stir well to combine all the flavors. Remove from heat and serve with warm brown
rice or bread.

SIDEBAR

While I have suggested cauliflower and spinach in this recipe, you can also use potatoes, fresh pumpkin, butternut
squash or eggplant for great variations.

When boiling the lentils with turmeric, you may add a drop of coconut oil or olive oil into the pot; this is traditionally
done to prevent foam from over-flowing during the cooking process

from "The Malaysian Kitchen"
https://themalaysiankitchen.com/cookbooks/

[Nanuke]

1. I just made the red lentil soup recipe for dinner tonight.

I use Vogue vegetarian chicken base (no salt) for most of my soup stock/broth.
Yum! Turned out great.
I’m going to serve it with Chiabatta roles from Trader Joe’s plus fresh sliced peaches with a 1/2 of a small round of Burrata on top.

Thanks for posting!

[justaprogressive]

2. Wow thanks!

glad you enjoyed it!