I make this a lot when tomatoes are in season. It makes for a simple, nutritious lunch or first course.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup red lentils
2 cups chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 medium onion, chopped
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
A handful of cilantro
10–15 fresh curry leaves, if available, or 6 fresh basil leaves, torn up
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Put all the ingredients except the salt into a pan and bring to a simmer. Cover partially, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn the heat to low, and simmer very gently for an hour. Add the salt and mix in. Strain the soup through a coarse strainer, pushing down with the back of a wooden spoon. Reheat before serving, stirring as you go.
Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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