Nepalese Red Lentil Soup

Happy 2013!  How about starting the new year with a yummy pot of soup?

Keeping with my 2012 New Year’s resolution to try new recipes, I made this soup over Christmas break.  It took stops at a couple different grocery stores to find red lentils and five spice powder, but this soup was well worth the effort.  It’s a fast recipe.  You’ll note that it calls for a blender.  I chopped the veggies super-fine and grated the ginger prior to cooking, so I skipped the puree step and didn’t miss it.

I found a great bakery in East Sac called Les Baux.  This recipe would be great with some of their olive bread.

Happy cooking!

Nepalese Red Lentil Soup (from Cooking Light)

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups chopped red onion (I used a little less)
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (I used a whole jalepeno)
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups dried small red lentils
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (I used curry powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, and jalapeño; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in 6 cups water and next 4 ingredients (through five-spice powder); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Place one-third of lentil mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour pureed lentil mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining lentil mixture. Stir in cilantro and juice. Serve immediately.