Indian Lentil Soup

This soup takes a couple hours to make but is well worth it and freezes beautifully! I received this recipe from a colleague but I believe the original source is Madhur Jaffrey.
- Ready In:
- 1hr 40mins
- Serves:
- Units:
3
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ingredients
- 3 cups green lentils, washed
- 2 (32 ounce) boxes chicken stock
- 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 large potatoes
- 4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 1⁄2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 1⁄2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
directions
- Combine the lentils, 2 boxes of chicken stock and turmeric in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While soup simmers, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. When soup has cooked for 30 minutes, add cut potato. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar again, and continue simmering for another 30 minutes.
- During the second simmering period, put the garlic and ginger into an electric blender. Add 4 1/2 T water and blend until you have a smooth paste. (I used a food processor for this step. You don't need it to be a paste but it should be finely chopped.).
- Once the soup base has finished cooking it needs to be pureed. Blender 3 batches. (I left one batch unblended to give the soup more texture.) Put pureed soup in a large bowl and set aside. Rinse and wipe out your soup pot.
- Place cooked and cubed chicken in a separate bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Next, pour oil into soup pot and set over medium heat. When oil is hot, put in the garlic/ginger paste, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Fry, stirring continuously, until the spice mixture is slightly browned and separates from the oil. Put in chicken pieces and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add 14 1/2 oz. chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover and turn heat to low; simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour in pureed soup and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and serve.
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@rickoholic83
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@rickoholic83
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"This soup takes a couple hours to make but is well worth it and freezes beautifully! I received this recipe from a colleague but I believe the original source is Madhur Jaffrey."
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I admit skepticism as I embarked on the actual cooking of this recipe. The first 2 or 3 steps had me wondering just what was I going to end up with? Something to put in my tub to enjoy a nice spa mud bath? I was a little apprehensive, to say the least! I kept going, curious about the end result. I so appreciate that the instructions are so well written! The end result made me feel like I'd finally arrived to someplace I'd never been! Very spa like! :) Unlike the previous two reviewers who thought this too spicy, I liked the spice just fine, and could go a bit heavier on them. I used my new Magic Bullet to puree the ginger and garlic; it did a fabulous job. I boiled my chicken breasts in the lentils, it seemed efficient. I served it with a dollop of plain yogurt. Thanks, Rickoholic83! Made for <b>Cookbook Tag</b>.Reply
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Man, this makes a ton of soup. I loved this but I would recommend that the spice shy start with 1/2 of the ask for amount, I did back off on the ginger just a bit and I added 1tsp of cinnamon and a twist more of lemon. The lentils and chicken are great together and I used 2 large russet potato's which made it very hearty. This is simply perfect for combating the winter cold and I'm going to have enough to last for awhile.Reply