Winter Soup with Lentils

I woke up this morning to a sore throat and a running nose.  And then I looked around me and found that the rest of the family had the same symptoms - some with the accompanying cough and sneeze.  Thankfully it is the last week of schools here and the vacations would soon begin - so at least the children can stay warm at home during the next two weeks.  

I have a 12-year old boy, Anis, and a 8-year old girl, Sahar.  They can be such angels at times and at times can be such naughty devils.  But from what I hear, this is the story of every household who has children.  There are days when there is so much bickering and fighting amongst them, that I want to retreat to a quiet place somewhere in the woods.  But then end of the day, I cannot imagine a life without them.  They are the light and life of the house.  

This is a soup I learnt from my mom which is great during those cold winter evenings.  It can be made with or without meat.  The benefits from the lentils which are rich in proteins is immense and besides they are good to lower your cholesterol.   The greens added to the soup give it the nice colour and flavour from the dill, coriander and spring onions.  I use a pressure cooker to cook the lentils to save on energy.  

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Serves 6

Spring Onions

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo meat (optional)

1 cup dried chick peas

1 cup dried red kidney beans

1 cup masoor

Dill

1 cup black eyed beans

1 cup moong beans

1 cup Bengal gram dal

3 cups dill leaves

3 cups coriander leaves

8 spring onions

2 brown onions, chopped

Coriander

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons Sunflower Oil

1 cup thick yoghurt for the garnishing 

Method:

1. Combine all the chick peas, red kidney beans, masoor, black eyed beans, moong and the Bengal gram dal.  Wash and soak in water for 8 hours or overnight.  
2. Cut the coriander and dill leaves and the spring onions and keep aside.  
3. Heat oil in a pan.  
4. When hot, fry the onions till light brown.  
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute.  
6. Now add the turmeric and coriander powder and the meat (if you are using meat) and fry for a further 2 minutes.  
7. Add the soaked beans with the water and cook till the beans are done.  If the water evaporates, add more.  I use a pressure cooker to do this as it takes about 10 minutes for the beans to cook.  
8. Once cooked, add the greens to the vessel and keep on a low flame for another 20 minutes.  Add the black pepper and salt to taste and serve garnished with a scallop of thick yoghurt.