Red lentil and tomato soup with split peas
This soup is an easy vegan weeknight dinner, perfect alongside fresh bread or steamed rice. If you like it spicy, use a stronger chilli powder. For medium heat I use Korean gochugaru powder. If you're averse to chilli spice, look to paprika instead. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add more water.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 100 grams sliced (preferably vertically from stem to root) onion (½ a UK large or US medium onion)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic 14 grams
- 1 heaped tablespoon thinly sliced lemongrass (from the pale lower section, not the green upper stem) 10 grams
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger 8 grams
- 1-3 teaspoons chilli powder, gochugaru, or paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground dried turmeric
- 600 millilitres water 2 ½ cups
- 1 400 gram tin of chopped tomatoes
- 50 grams split red lentils (red masoor daal) ¼ cup
- 55 grams split chickpeas (chana dal) ¼ cup
- fresh herbs (e.g. coriander, spring onion) for topping optional
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil to medium heat in a medium sized (2 litres +) saucepan. Add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring very frequently, for around 10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown.
- Pound the salt, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, chilli powder, and turmeric into a paste using a pestle and mortar. If you don't have a pestle and mortar then just make sure the ingredients are finely minced. Add to the onions and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. If the paste sticks to the pot, add a bit more oil.
- Add water, tinned tomatoes, lentils, and split peas. Bring to the boil and then immediately turn to a low simmer. Cover and cook for around 30-40 minutes, or until the split peas are cooked. If the soup gets too dry during cooking, you can top it up with some more water.
- Spoon the soup into bowls and top with fresh herbs, to your liking.