Cold days and hot soups...

Winter's just on its way and I'm starting to get strong cravings for hot soup and stew-like dishes. When I think of soups in Indian cuisine, there're not many options available. The closest resmblance I can make to a thick soup would be in the form of Indian lentils, called Dal. This recipe is one of our family favourites. My mom would always make this during winter and serve it warm with rice when we got back from school. I like to add a little more water than usual to get a nice soupy texture.

Dal Palak (Spinach and Lentil Soup)

Ingredients: ½ cup Yellow Split Gram Lentils 2 cups chopped Spinach leaves ½ cup chopped Tomatoes 2 tbsp sliced onions 1 tsp chopped Green Chilies 1 tsp chopped Ginger ½ tsp red chili powder ¼ tsp turmeric powder 2 tbsp Cooking Oil Salt, to taste 3 cups water 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves Method: Heat oil in a pot and add cumin seeds, green chilies and ginger. Sauté for a minute and add onions. Fry onions till start to brown a bit and then add tomatoes, turmeric powder and chili powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes till tomatoes become tender, and then add lentils, spinach and water. Let boil for 20-25 minutes on medium-low heat till lentils are tender. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.