Indian Lentil Dal

Another curry. This one reminds me of my youth when we had neighbors from Nepal. They eat this stuff with their fingers. I was tempted to do so myself, as there were no clean forks when I was finished cooking...

Indian Lentil Dal

1 c dried lentils (or 3 c reconstituted)
4 c vegetable broth
2 c filtered water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 TB cumin, ground (or to taste)
1/2 tsp curry (or to taste)
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne (opt. - only if you like spicy!)
Soy sauce, to taste (up to 1/3 c)

The night before you want to make your dal, boil the lentils in water for 5 min and then discard the water. Soak the lentils ovenight if you are using dried. Change the water once while soaking. WHen you are ready to use the lentils, discard the soak water.

Chop the onion, carrots and celery and add to a saucepan with a little oil over medium heat. Cover the saucepan and begin mincing galic. Add garlic to saucepan. Occasionally stir the veggies.

Once the onions are translucent, add broth, water, lentils and spices. Cover the pot and simmer, if your lentils are already cooked, you shouldn't have to cook the soup for long. If the lentils are soaked but uncooked, simmer the soup until the lentils are soft enough to eat (~45 min.), stirring occasionally.

Last, add soy sauce.

Tip: If you don't have lentils, you can use mung beans instead.