dal soup recipe | dahl soup | lentil soup recipe | daal soup (2024)

FAQs

What is dal soup made of? ›

Dal soup is an Indian soup variety where lentils are simmered with vegetables, leafy greens, spices and herbs to make a satiating dish. This soup is a good way to add some protein especially on a vegetarian or vegan diet. This is a healthy Indian dish with subtle regional variations resulting in varied flavors.

“Dal” has a double meaning: It is both the word for lentils and beans and the term for a thick purée or soup made from lentils. Lentil dal is essentially just a lentil soup. However, to say dal is simple also cuts its significance of flavor, of history, and importance at the South Asian table.

Put the mung dal and 3 cups of the water into a soup pot and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the last 3 cups of the water and boil for another 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat with an eggbeater until smooth.

This dish is an excellent place to take the leap from following a recipe to improvising a meal. At its most basic, soup is four components: a base, a thickener, a liquid, and a main ingredient. The liquid and main ingredient can be thought of as the essence: add 3 parts liquid to 2 parts main ingredient, and it's soup.

As an ingredient, dal refers to a split version of legumes like lentils, chickpeas, etc. As a recipe, dal is made by simmering together yellow or red split lentils with warming spices and often coconut milk, tomatoes and broth to create a lovely, super-nutritious meal with a stew-like consistency.

The best side dishes to serve with lentil soup are yellow rice, quinoa, cannellini beans, brown rice, zucchini noodles, Israeli couscous, wheat berries, naan bread, garlic bread, Greek salad, grilled cheese sandwich, sautéed spinach, roasted vegetables, and pita chips.

Lentils are an excellent source of plant-based kidney friendly protein, rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Whether used in a soup, salad, or main dish, lentils are a hearty, healthy addition to any meal. Buy lentils in dried, canned, or frozen forms.

Do you cook lentils before adding to soup? Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutes in the soup, and there's no need to soak them either!

Eating more lentils may help people maintain a healthy weight or lose weight. Replacing energy-dense (or high calorie) foods with legumes such as lentils can help people prevent or manage obesity and lose weight. Research suggests that regularly eating lentils may help with the management and prevention of diabetes.

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

What are the benefits of dal soup? ›

Lentils are high in protein, which is essential for building and maintaining your muscles, bones, and skin. Protein also helps you feel full and satisfied, which can support weight loss and appetite control.

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

Clear soups include broth, hearty broth, and Consommé. Our clear soup course will guide you step by step, to succeed in making those delicious, rich flavors clear soups.

The Stock or Broth. Once you've built up your soup's foundation with aromatics and seasonings, it's time to add a stock or broth. No single element in a soup wields as much influence on its taste as its liquid.

Basically, you need dal (lentil) to make dal (lentil soup). While you can make a dal out of any pulse, typically, the word “dal” only shows up in the name of a pulse if it is a split lentil.

In India, dal refers both to the ingredient–pulses, such as lentils, split peas, chickpeas (chana), kidney beans, and more–as well as the dish. If you want to read more about dal and the different pulses used in dal, please read my Restaurant-Style Dal Tadka blog post.

The history of dal soup can be traced back to ancient times, when lentils were first domesticated in the Middle East and then spread to other parts of the world, including India. The earliest known record of lentils being used in cooking dates all the way back to 5,000 BCE in Greece.