Sunday, January 16, 2011

Moong Dal Soup

Moong Dal is a childhood comfort food, had with fresh rotis or rice. A North-Indian staple, this simple dal with the flavour of ginger, garlic and cummin, becomes a South Indian traditional with the addition of coconut paste and additional spices. This is a traditional accompaniment to a favourite breakfast dish, the Puttu.
I have used these flavours in today's Soup: taking a light touch of garlic with cummin and adding thin coconut milk. It can be served with crispy toasts or to complete the sub-continent's flavour, I have served it with Garlic Naan. This goes to Deb's Souper Sunday's.
Moong Dal Soup with Coconut Milk
Serves 4

 Ingredients
1 1/2 Cup  of cooked  green moong beans, [ 1/2 Cup of moon beans soaked overnight in 3 cups of water]
1/2 Cup finely chopped white onions
1/2 tsp cummin seeds
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1 pod of  green cardamom
1 small piece of Indian cinnamon, 1 inch long, about 1/4th inch wide!!!;-)
1 'petal' of star anise
2  cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped coarsely
1/4 Cup  of chopped tomato
2-3 finger hot green chillies, slit [ or according to taste]
Salt
2 tsps of Ghee/clarified butter

For Garnish
Crispy fried onion slices
2 tablespoons, finely chopped fresh coriander
Dollop of fresh whipped cream
Dollop of butter :-D
1 tsp of clarified butter/ ghee for individual bowls! :-D
Method
Cook the moong beans  with  turmeric, salt, the sliver of cinnamon, one cardamom and a tiny 'petal' of star anise.

Heat the pot and add 2 tsps of clarified butter/ghee
Temper cummin seeds,
Immediately add the chopped garlic and turn the heat to medium
Saute until soft
Add the slit green chillies and saute for a couple of minutes
Add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
Add  the tomatoes and saute for 3 -4 minutes
Add the cooked moong beans  and 2 1/2 Cups of water
Bring to a gentle simmer.
Cook for about 8 minutes
Add 1/2 Cup of thin coconut milk.
[Easy step: Mix 1 tbsp of coconut powder in 1/2 cup of hot water and add. Alternately you can omit this step and add just water]

Simmer for another 5 minutes,
Check for salt  and seasoning,
Add garnish and serve.

Garnished here with finely chopped coriander and 1/2 tsp of  butter.




11 comments:

  1. Moong dal soup with coconut milk looks delicious.

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  2. This looks like a great way of turning a childhood favorite into a delicious soup. Thanks for sending it to Souper Sundays. ;-)

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  3. One of my favourites....looks so comforting....

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  4. Thanks Deb, Kamalini and Swathi!

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  5. Soup looks extremely inviting,comforting and hearty..

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  6. initially i never used to like moong dhal, these day i got accustomed to it now specially when it is fried a bit am sure it give lovely flavour with coconut milk for sure, love ur presentation on the cloth with that boarder, is that dhothi? :)

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  7. Thanks Ananda! Was not a big fan of South Indian style moong dal dishes but my mother made a delicious dal with rotis. This soup is a mild, 'thinner' version of that!

    The border is actually a tribal tri-fold, bamboo and thread mat from the North-East

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  8. Moong is one of my fav dal and this looks too good :-)

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Thank you for your valuable feedback!