Black Lentil Soup in 12 Steps

I like to cook a lot of lentils at home. They are nutritious, high in fiber and protein. Plus, tasting a bowl of beautifully cooked lentils is like receiving a warm hug. Haha, look at me, I just brought proverbial cheesiness to the lentils.

Black lentils require a slightly longer cooking time, compared to the red lentils. But, you can speed up the cooking process by soaking the lentils overnight. You can also choose to cook the lentils in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. I prepared this recipe on the stove, in a regular pot. Another little pointer, when I  am making lentil soups, I usually use a wooden spoon which has a hole in the middle. I believe, the hole helps in whipping the soup, while you are stirring it, allowing for creamier texture.

Ingredients (in the order they are used):

2 tablespoons of grape seed oil
1 tablespoon of butter
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 jalapeno (seed and membrane removed, thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
4 black peppercorns
2 cloves
1 whole dried chili pod
1 pinch of ajwain
2 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (to taste)
2 large tomatoes (pureed, using an immersion blender)
1/4 cup of cilantro leaves (reserve some for garnish)
1 cup of black lentils (soaked overnight)
Juice of half a lemon
4 cups of water
1/4 cup of cream or whole milk

Step 1: In a hot pot, on high heat add the oil, and butter.

Step 2: Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds.

Step 3: Add the jalapeno. Keep stirring, preventing the garlic from burning.

Step 4: Add all the spices. Cook for another minute.

Step 5: Add the cilantro.

Step 6: Add the pureed tomatoes.

Step 7: Add the black lentils.

Continue cooking for a minute.

Step 8: Add the 4 cups of water, and juice of half a lemon. Bring the soup to a boil on high flame.

Step 9: Once the soup has come to a boil, turn the flame to low. Cover and cook for another hour, or until the lentils are tender. If you want to, you can transfer the soup to a pressure cooker at this point. Or into a slow cooker, setting the timer for 4 to 6 hours.

Step 10: Once the lentils are tender, stir in 1/4 cup of milk or cream. Turn up the heat.

Step 11: Using a potato masher, roughly mash up the lentils. This allows the lentils to absorb the excess liquid. Cook the lentils to your desired thickness.

Step 12: I turned off the stove at this point.

The husband and I had this beautiful lentil soup with tomato quinoa salad. My toddler, the purist, had it with roti bread.