Lentil Quinoa Soup

Happy New Year 2018!!!

Starting this new year with a resolution to eat healthier. The plan is to focus more on vegetarian one dish meals.

I picked this recipe from a dear friend and tweaked it a little to make it gluten free.
Its a protein rich, simple nourishing one dish meal that can be made in minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas)
1/2 cup Moong Dal (Split Green Gram)
1/4 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped kale
3 green chilies (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp crushed or finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup chopped coriander (cilantro)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
6 cups water

Seasoning:

1 tsp crushed or finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 broken red chilies
spring of curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp oil

Juice of  half a lemon

Procedure:

Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker or instant pot and cook just long enough for the lentils to cook.
In instant pot you can cook it on high pressure for 7 - 8 minutes.
Heat oil add crushed garlic followed by mustard, cumin, red chilies and curry leaves and stir for a minute making sure not to burn.
Add this seasoning to the cooked lentils and vegetables.
Add lemon juice.

Note:
Choose vegetables of your choice.  Make sure not to skip tomato.

Charu --Rasam

Charu is a very common dish in our telugu homes. It is made almost as often as pappu. It is a clear tangy and spicy stew without which a meal is not complete. Ofen eaten with rice and dal, but can have it as a soup by itself. Especially craved for when one is down with cold or flu.

There are many versions to charu, and this is mine :)

Ingredients:
4 cups water
Walnut sized tamarind ball
1 tomato
1 tsp MTR rasam powder (can substitute with any rasam powder of your choice)
1 inch ginger mashed
½ tsp turmeric
Dash of pepper
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
1 tsp oil
2 tsp chopped onions
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 red chili
Curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Let it boil on low for 10 more minutes.

Let cooked tamarind and all settle in the bottom and gently pour the clear charu into serving dish. You can also filter it if you desire.

Heat oil in a pan, add seasoning followed by onions. Sauté till onions are roasted. Add it to charu.

Tips: Tomato is optional, increase or decrease the amount of tamarind to suit your palate. Onions in seasoning is optional too.