Recipe 17
Dal soup with fresh herbs
For 2 persons
Ginger has a wide range of applications in Ayurveda. It is recommended that anyone who has problems with digestion should eat fresh ginger just before lunch and dinner. It stimulates digestion and improves the body’s absorption of nutrients (improving microcirculation). The ingredients help with joint inflammation and reduce chronic pain.
Apart from that, ginger is an excellent spice that can be used daily.
For this recipe you will need
1 cup (approx. 175 g) mung dal without skin.
1 ½ tbsp. ghee
½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ TBSP. Coriander seeds
½ TBSP. Cumin seeds
1 cup of fragrant or basmati rice
1 tsp. rock salt (Himalayan salt)
1 small bunch of young kale or thinly sliced kale (fiber-free)
1 TBSP. Olive oil
2 tsp. ginger root, finely grated or chopped
1 tsp. pepper, seeded, chopped
2 tsp. fresh coriander and/or parsley, chopped
Wash the mung bean and rice thoroughly. Bring about 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add rice and mung beans with 1/2 tbsp. ghee and turmeric powder. On a low setting, reduce the liquid. You need to simmer everything for about 1 hour until the rice and mung beans are cooked and soft. Now remove from the heat. In the meantime, slowly roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a pan until they are fragrant and have taken on some color. This will take about 5- 8 minutes. The roasted seeds are then crushed (e.g. in a mortar). Now add the roasted spices and rock salt to the mung bean/rice mixture. Blend with a mixer for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Coarsely chop the fresh herbs (young kale or spinach) and fold them in. Add as much hot water to your taste until you have the consistency you like (some like it more creamy, some more runny). Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. ghee and the cumin oil (or alternatively the olive oil) in a small saucepan. Add the coarsely chopped ginger and the coarsely chopped fresh pepper and sauté. A good pointer is the golden yellow color of the sautéed ginger. Add this to the soup as well and let it sit for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle some fresh chopped cilantro and/or parsley on top for garnish and serve immediately.
Variation suggestion in spring
Instead of young kale, young to medium chard or, for example, wild Henry (melde) is also suitable If you are sensitive to cumin oil, the cumin oil can also be replaced well with extra virgin olive oil. Spring onions or chives could also be used as an alternative herb.