Suva Masoor Dal \ Split Red Lentil Soup with Dill Leaves

Dal or lentils are an important part of any Indian meals and as most households, it's made for at least one meal everyday in my home as well. Thankfully there are a variety of lentils to choose from and so it's not boring to eat the same thing each day. I also keep on making variations in the preparation and this time, I added dill leaves to my split red lentils. Dill leaves are high in vitamins and anti oxidants and are also a good source of minerals like calcium, potassium and iron. Adding dill leaves in Dal is also a good way to sneak in the greens in your child's diet, without him making much fuss about it. Here is the simple recipe to make Soya Masoor Dal.

All you need is

Dhuli masoor dal \ Split skinned red lentil - 1 cup
Salt - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Dill \ Soya leaves - 1\2 cup ( chopped )
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 4-5 cloves ( chopped )
Cumin \ Zeera seeds - 1\2 tsp
Fenugreek \ Methi seeds - 1\2 tsp
Asafoetida \ Heeng - 1\4 tsp
Dry red chilies-  3-4
Onion - 1\2 cup ( chopped )
Red chili powder - 1\2 tsp
lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Method of preparation

Wash the dal and put it in a pressure cooker.
Add 2 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder and cook till done.
Remove from heat and let the pressure release.
Open the pressure cook.
Add more water till the desired consistency of dal is reached.
Add soya leaves and cook the dal for 2-4 minutes.
Heat ghee in a pan.
When the ghee is hot, add garlic and fry till slightly browned.
Add methi, zeera, heeng and dry red chilies and fry till they splutter.
Add onion and fry till onion is golden brown.
Add this tempering to the cooked dal.
Add lemon juice in the dal.
Serve hot with rice or phulke.