Pigeon Peas Soup

“Fall is almost upon us, which means it’s time to eat hot things for lunch and avoid all outdoor elements as much as humanly possible 😉 ” as one of my colleagues rightly said!

Every year from the onset of Fall to the onset of spring season, we have soup swap at work — wherein every Monday we exchange 2 mason jars of soups with other people participating.
The “rules” of soup swap are pretty simple:
🙂 On Sunday (or the weekend), everyone participating makes soup.
🙂 Every Monday, everyone brings in two mason jars (standard 2-cup size) of said soup.
🙂 At lunchtime, we gather with our soup jars, and trade them for two other jars.

It’s a fun activity as well as gives me a chance to try out some awesome soup recipes! Added bonus, I don’t have to worry about my lunch for at least 3-4 days!! 🙂 [which means, I can avoid the winds, cold and snow on at least those days..aha! joy 😉 ]

This was the soup that I tried out for participating in the soup swap this year and it turned out pretty awesome! It’s meatless, vegan and dairy free!

Native: The recipe for this is adapted from the “daal fry” recipe that we make in India! Just some small tweaks to make it into a soup! 😉

Hope you enjoy it!

• Servings: 4
• Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Pigeon Pea lentils
• 2 1/2 cups of Water for pressure cookin the lentils
• 1 medium sized Onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized Tomato, finely chopped
• 2 Jalapenos, slit or chopped
• 1 teaspoon Garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Red chili powder
• 2 tablespoon Ghee or Unsalted butter + additional 1 tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Chopped Coriander leaves
• Salt as required

Method

1. Pressure cook lentils with a pinch of turmeric in 2.5 cups of water.
2. Mash the lentils lightly with a wired whisk or with a spoon and keep aside.
3. In a pan heat oil or ghee or unsalted butter.
4. Add the onions and crushed garlic and fry till they become transparent or light brown.
5. Add salt and red chili powder.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook till they soften and you see oil releasing from the sides.
7. Now add the mashed lentils. Stir well. Add additional water if required.
8. Stir and simmer the dal for 4-5 minutes more or till you get a smooth and slightly thick consistency.
9. You can adjust the amount of water you want.
10. ln a small pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp ghee and add cumin seeds to it. Fry them till you hear the crackling sound and keep it aside
11. 11.Add lemon juice if you want, at this stage and stir well.
12. 12.To serve, fill the soup in a bowl, top with the cumin seeds and garnish with jalapenos and coriander leaves.

 

 

Butternut Squash & Sage Soup

A herby twist to the traditional butternut squash soup with sage leaves, drizzled with some flavored butter and topped with freshly popped corns! ‪

Butternut squash is a kind of winter squash whereas Sage is listed as one of the essential herbs. The sweet, nutty taste of the squash combined with the savory, slightly peppery flavor creates an aura of flavors!

So for some comfort in a bowl, ladle up this soup! ‪

Adapted from: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/butternut-squash-soup-with-popcorn-and-sage

• Servings: 4
• Time: 55 mins
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Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons ground Coriander
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste
•  2 1/2 pounds Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin Olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups hot Water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted Butter
• 12 fresh Sage leaves
• 1 cup popped Popcorn, for garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 475°. In a bowl, mix the coriander, sugar, cayenne and 2 teaspoons of salt. In a roasting pan, toss the squash with the olive oil and the spices; roast for 35 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and browned.
2. Transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the water and puree until smooth. Transfer the soup to a saucepan, season with salt and keep warm.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the sage leaves to a paper towel. Continue to cook the butter over moderate heat until fragrant and browned, about 3 minutes longer. Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with the sage butter, top with the fried sage leaves and popcorn and serve.

Hope you enjoy it!