So... why a lentil soup recipe amongst all this baby & decor cuteness??? You may ask. I don't blame you.

If you know a bit about the story of our brand, you will know that it was born out of love for my husband's cultural heritage. Yes, being married to someone who has grown up in a completely different culture brings challenges, but I see it more as a gift. I am so passionate about learning from other cultures, and enjoy not only the aesthetics of their arts & crafts, but a whole lot of other things: their colourful clothing, their hospitality, sense of humour... certainly their delicious food comes at the top of the list!

You can get Daal soup in plenty of restaurants, but I have just never tried any like a home made one. We have been cooking it for as long as we have been married -10 years- and I have finally perfected it in a way that is consistently so yummy, that I barely need rice or anything else with it...because I prefer to eat it alone. 

Red Split lentils Soup Recipe

Serves 4 people (eaten with rice and salad)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups of Red Split Lentils - you can find in any supermarket
• 1/2 medium onion - finely chopped
• 1 flat tea spoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 small / 1 large garlic clove - crushed
• 3 table spoons of rapeseed oil (or your vegetable oil of choice)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch of Panch Puran (Bengali 5 Five Spice) you can purchase it on Bangla shops or ebay following this link: https://bit.ly/2VgYn6I
• 1/4 tea spoon of ground turmeric
• 1/4 tea spoon of ground coriander
• 1/5 tea spoon of ground cumin
• fresh coriander
• * optional: if you like 'hot' food, add two small green chillies with seeds removed

PROCESS

• Place lentils in a medium pot and bring to boil with 5 cups of water

• Add a flat tea spoon of salt approximately

• Simmer for 20 minutes until softened

• While lentils are boiling, you can do the rest of the process in a small/medium frying pan. This is my way of doing it; it allows me to maximise the time and it seems to taste even more delicious than the proper way of doing it. So it's a win-win.

• Heat oil in the frying pan and wait until it's hot

• Add bay leaf, pinch of punch phoran and once the seeds are frying, add the finely chopped onion

• Stir for a few minutes in medium heat until onion is a bit golden

• Add the turmeric, coriander and cumin, stirr with onion and add a dash of water. Let it simmer

• Add a tiny pinch of salt in the onion, allow water to reduce

• Add crushed garlic and finely chopped ginger and continue to simmer (if it's too dry add more water)

• Once lentils are cooked, add the contents of the frying pan and mix. The daal will change colour and it should smell pretty amazing. Try for salt and adjust to taste

• Serve with fluffy basmati rice, salad and perhaps some pan fried eggplant, for a fully Bangladeshi style feast. Don't forget to add a wedge of lemon and squeeze some before eating too, to fully enhance the flavours!

I hope you feel encouraged to try it, it's not only healthy but also delicious Please do let me know if you have any questions!! Bon apetit ;)