1,000 Indian Recipes (119 page)

1 to 2 tablespoons
South Indian Soup Powder (Rasam Podi)
or store-bought

1 tablespoon peanut oil or melted ghee

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen mixed vegetables, such as eggplant, okra, carrots, drumsticks, and green beans

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon minced fresh curry leaves

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Soak the dal in 1 cup water until it absorbs the water and softens slightly, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the ginger-garlic paste and the tamarind paste.

2.
When soft, transfer the dal to a medium saucepan, add another cup of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, watching carefully and stirring, until the dal is very soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the soup powder.

3.
Heat the oil (or ghee) in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard and cumin seeds and the asafoetida; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so cover the pan and reduce the heat until the spluttering subsides. Quickly add the onion and stir about 1 minute.

4.
Add vegetables, the soup powder, and salt and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Then add the cooked dal, the remaining water, tamarind paste, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, and cilantro, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. (Add more water if you prefer a thinner soup.) Serve hot.

Mulligatawny Soup

Millagu-Tanni

Makes 4 to 6 servings

The Anglicized term
mulligatawny
comes from the Tamil words
millagu-tanni
, meaning pepper-water (
millagu
is black pepper and
tanni
is water).
Mulligatawny
belongs to the
rasam
family of spicy soups. Today, chicken and lamb are often added to this soup, but they are not traditional additions—just something people have come to enjoy. My recipe here is the authentic vegetarian version.

For a non-vegetarian soup, pan-cook about a cup of
¹
⁄
₂
-inch cubes of chicken or lamb, along with the onion and garlic and substitute chicken or lamb stock for part or all the water.

¹
⁄
₄
cup
Tamarind Paste
(or store-bought)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon dried fenugreek seeds

4 to 5 cups water

1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon peanut oil

3 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, whole or broken

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 to 2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, sliced diagonally, with seeds

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground asafoetida

1.
Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, heat a small skillet and dry-roast together the coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns, and fenugreek over medium heat until they are a few shades darker, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then grind them finely.

2.
Stir together the water, tamarind paste, and tomato in a large saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil about 5 minutes. Mix in the roasted spices and the salt, and boil another 5 minutes.

3.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the red chile peppers, and the mustard and cumin seeds; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Add the onion and green chile peppers and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, and asafoetida and stir another minute.

4.
Mix these seasonings into the tomato soup base and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Adjust seasonings, if needed, and serve.

Variation:
Instead of dry-roasting the spices in step 1, use 2 tablespoons
South Indian Soup Powder (Rasam Podi)
or store-bought.

Bean and Lentil Soups

Yellow Mung Bean and Spinach Soup with Sizzling Cumin Oil

Mung Dal aur Palak ka Soop

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This is probably one of the most popular soup recipes from northern India. Since split mung beans (
mungdal)
are a staple in most home pantries, this delicate soup can be prepared at a moment's notice and is easy on the stomach. You may need to make a trip to the Indian grocery store for the
mungdal
and other ingredients, but this soup uses many commonly found ingredients and cooks quickly.

For a more filling dish, toss in about 1 cup cooked rice and about half a cup thawed frozen corn along with the spinach, if you wish.

1 tablespoon
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1 cup dried split yellow mung beans (dhulli mung dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

1 medium russet (or any) potato, peeled and cut into small pieces

5 to 6 cups water

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

³
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 cups firmly packed finely chopped fresh spinach (from 1 small bunch)

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon melted ghee (optional)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground paprika

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Place the dal and potato with 5 cups water, the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt in a medium saucepan and boil over high heat about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the dal is soft and creamy, about 40 minutes. For a thinner soup, add another cup of water and boil again.

2.
Add the spinach and cilantro during the last 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

3.
Heat the oil (and ghee, if using) in a small saucepan over medium-medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the coriander. Remove the pan from the heat stir in the paprika, then mix the spiced oil into the hot dal. Sprinkle the black pepper on top and serve.

Quick Sindhi Split Pigeon Pea Soup with Tamarind