Spicy Indian Lentil and Tomato Soup

Name: Spicy Indian Lentil and Tomato Soup
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 1 cup dried lentils; 6 cups water; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 8 black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (see Note on pages 51–52); 3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; Kernels cut from 2 ears fresh corn, or 1 cup frozen corn; Salt to taste; 2 teaspoons ghee; 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds; 1 dried red chile, broken into bits; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

December 9, 2011

One of the beautiful things about traditional Indian cooking is that each cook grinds her own spices, and each dish therefore bears the unique thumbprint of its creator. Freshly ground spices give this simple soup a gourmet touch.

Recipe notes

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