Red Lentil Soup with Lime

author: susanandrowell

created: 2004-07-24 20:33:58

servings:

notes:

adapted from Deborah Madison, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."

recipe:

2 c split red lentils 1 tbs turmeric 2-4 tbs butter 1 large onion, diced 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground mustard 1 bunch chopped cilantro (I have omitted this in the past and it turned out fine) juice of at least 3 limes 1 large bunch spinach or bag baby spinach, washed and chopped cooked rice plain yogurt Put lentils in a soup pot w/ 2 1/2 quarts water, the turmeric, 1 tbs of the butter and 1 tbs salt. Bring to a boil then simmer covered, about 20 min or until lentils are soft. While the lentils are cooking, saute the onion in some butter w/ the cumin and mustard. When soft, add cilantro. Add the onion mixture to the soup w/ the juice of 2 limes. Taste and add more lime if you want. In the original recipe she has you wilt the spinach in butter and add it separately to each bowl--I either wipe the pan that had the onion in it and cook it in there, then dump it in the soup, or I skip that and just add the raw spinach to the soup and cook a little longer. Serve in soup bowls over a big scoop of hot short grain white rice, w/ a big scoop of plain yogurt on top (preferably not nonfat).