Despite the name, I was somehow expecting this soup to be more of a red lentil soup with a bit of spinach in than the other way around. It's not unpleasant this way, just not what I was expecting.

Sadly, the Kidlet wasn't a fan of this one. Honestly, I didn't love it either. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. And when there are so many great recipes out there (especially in 660 Curries), I'm not generally too interested in revisiting the mediocre ones. On the bright side, it is chock full of leafy greens and legumes and very low in fat! So, it's healthy (and pleasantly spicy), just not the overwhelming success that so many of the other curries we've tried have been.

Spinach Soup with Red Lentils

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split brown lentils (masoor dal/Egyptian lentils/red lentils)
• 3-4 c. water
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 3-6 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 680g fresh spinach¹, well-rinsed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. balti masala

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils very well, then add 3 c. of the water and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.
3. Meanwhile, pulvarize the cumin, coriander, and chilies in a molcajete (or finely mince the chilies and grind the spices in a spice grinder and then mix them together).
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add the chile-spice blend and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add the spinach a handful or two at a time, stirring until wilted (a minute or so per batch).
8. Add the cooked lentils along with any residual cooking water.
9. Stir in up to 1 c. of additional water (depending on how thick or thin you like your soup).
10. Use and immersion blender or a food processor to gently pulse the soup. Leave it slightly chunky with some texutre; don't try to purée it smooth.
11. Stir in the salt and balti masala and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.

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¹ Or use a mix of greens of your choice. Iyer suggests using up to 50% kale, mustard greens, collard greens, or radish greens in place of some of the spinach. I used a mixture of spinach and green kale for my soup, bu I think that tossing a little methi (fenugreek leaves) in would also be nice. ^Back