Channa Dal with tomatoes and greens
Recipe Type: Soup
Author:
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Channa Dal, soaked overnight
- 1/2-2 inch piece of dried Kombu seaweed, rinsed*
- 1 small yellow onion, diced, yielding at least a heaping cup
- 1 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced or crushed
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee (or 1 Tb. Butter and 1 Tb. Olive oil)
- ¾ tsp. Garam Masala
- ½ tsp. Turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp. Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp. Cayenne, to taste
- 1 14 oz can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes w/medium green chiles
- ½ vegetable bouillon cube- Celifibr brand *
- 2 tsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos*
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 smallish bunch roughly chopped fresh Greens: Kale, Chard, or Spinach.
- Toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, squeeze of lemon*
- *= optional ingredient
Instructions
- In your soup pot, melt the Ghee. Add onions and sauté on medium for 5 minutes or so, until onions are translucent. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Next, add all the spices except cayenne to the onion mix and sauté briefly. Add soaked Channa Dal. Stir to coat Dal with spice/onion mixture.
- Add approx. 6 cups water. Keep a kettle of water nearby for additional water- you may need it. Add the piece of Kombu, the vegetable bouillon, and cayenne. Bring Dal to a boil, and lower to a rapid simmer. Cook approx. 20 minutes until Dal is almost done. Add additional water if needed, or if a soupy/saucy quality is desired. (Dal will retain its shape and some firmness, even when cooked) Add entire contents of tomato can and bragg’s. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add chopped greens last. Simmer briefly, until greens are just tender and not overcooked. Taste and adjust seasonings; add salt, pepper, or bragg’s as desired.
- Serve over rice and garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.
- Discussion: Kombu is used here as a tenderizing agent for the Dal. It makes it more digestible and adds some minerals to the cooking liquid. It does not add a discernable flavor when used in a small amount like this. You can eat the kombu, if you like, or you can remove it after 15-20 minutes of cooking. The vegetable bouillon and bragg’s are optional, but help add a depth of flavor to the dish. In a more traditional version of this dish, a pinch of sweetener is often used to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.