Thursday, May 29, 2008

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup


I'm submitting this soup to Food Blogga's Beautiful Bones event. Since May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, Susan is hosting this event to promote awareness about osteoporosis. Check out her post which mentions the risk factors and many examples of calcium rich foods. I had no idea that tomatoes and spices have calcium! Anyway, the calcium rich foods my soup has are lentils, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and potatoes.


This soup is good, filling, healthy and I plan to make it again! The flavour combination of cumin, coriander and lentils was really good. For a while now, I've been really hooked on red split lentils (which cook really fast and are so delicious). I haven't ventured out and tried many other types of lentils though, which I should.

Other soups I've made:
Baked Bean Soup
Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

1 1/2 cups dried red split lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
1 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 fresh chile, seeded and finely minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups (28 oz can) undrained canned chopped tomatoes
3/4 tsp salt

In a nonreactive soup pot, bring the lentils and water to a boil; then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onions, garlic, and chile for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, coriander and cumin and saute for another minute, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the lentils are tender, stir the canned tomatoes into the soup pot. Add the salt and sauteed vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender. If you like, take 2 cups of the soup out and puree them, then add back to the soup.

13 comments:

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Hi Ashley,

I love red lentils too. They cook so quickly, unlike brown lentils, and look so pretty too. I love the bold flavors in this recipe and can't wait to try it. Many thanks for your entry!
Susan

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

What a fabulous soup (looove lentils) for a fabulous cause/blogging event. Wonderful!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I made this soup, couple weeks ago, and I'm not sold. I'm glad you like it. Maybe I did something wrong.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a tasty way to get a good dose of calcium. I could definitely stand to get more calcium into my diet, so I'll bookmark this recipe!

LisaRene said...

I'll start with a bowl of the nice low-calorie healthy soup and then have a big sticky bun for dessert :)

Lisa Turner said...

This is my kind of soup! I made something similar the other day to warm up a cool day.

Deborah said...

I really need to eat more lentils, and this would be a perfect way to get them in!

winedeb said...

Gotta love those Moosewood cookbooks! Yummy looking soup!

test it comm said...

That soup looks good and sounds pretty healthy.

Fitness Foodie said...

This looks like such a good soup, love the flavors.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This soup sounds so healthy and delicious Ashley; "Pan metron ariston" or everything in moderation:D

Julia said...

Yum, I have a cold, and it's a proper winter day outside-this soup is exactly what I feel like! You ought to try split mung dahl for a change, they cook as quickly as red lentils and are super healthy.

eatme_delicious said...

Thanks for the comments everyone. :)