Indian Soup with Dumplings

 
 

This is one of my favorite soups ever.  I created it from my experiences with Jamaican and Indian cuisine.  I also like it so much because the ingredients are very easy to keep around, keep reading and you will see!

To make my life easier I like to use the pre-minced garlic and pureed ginger paste that you can buy in jars.  I get large jars of these for cheap at Indian markets, I encourage you to look for them there!  I used fresh ginger and garlic in my dishes for years, but after trying out these prepared and bottled ingredients I really can't tell the difference in flavor.

To add additional flavor I like to buy the spices that I can in a dried, but whole form, and grind them right before I am going to use them.  A good example of this that we are all familiar with is peppercorns that are often kept whole and cracked with a pepper grinder at the dinner table.  I find that whole spices also retain their flavor for longer.  The spices for this recipe that I like to keep whole and grind fresh are coriander, cumin, and peppercorns.  I find them all in big bags at Indian markets.  You don't need any fancy equipment to grind spices, I use a cheap coffee grinder that I dedicate for just grinding spices. I got it at a thrift store second hand for a few dollars!

Recipe type: Main

Servings: 3-4
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Tags: Vegan, oil-free, no added sugar

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1/2 yellow onion)
  • 1 heaping cup chopped tomato (1 medium tomato)
  • 1-inch ginger root peeled, roughly chopped or 1 Tbsp. bottled ginger puree
  • 6 cloves garlic peeled, or 3 tsp. bottled minced garlic
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 large or two medium yellow potato – chopped into large chunks (use your favorite potato)
  • 2 and 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt or 2 tsp. table salt
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp thyme, dried or fresh
  • 1 tsp chili powder – I use chili powder with mild heat, but those that like spice can add it here

Dumplings:

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup water
  • ½ tsp sea salt or ¼ tsp table salt

Directions

I made a full video tutorial for this recipe.  Watch it to learn exactly how to do each step!  Written directions below.

  1. In a blender add ginger, garlic, and 2 cups of water.  Blend until uniform, set aside.
  2. Add onions and tomatoes to a deep pot on low heat and dry sauté until onions begin to turn translucent.
  3. Once the onions start to stick a bit, add the garlic/ginger mix from step 1 to deglaze the pan.  Stir to make sure that nothing continues to stick to the bottom.
  4. Add the remaining water to the pot (6 cups)
  5. Place a lid on the pot and heat to a simmer
  6. Add green lentils, potato, and all spices to the pot and continue to simmer.  Place the lid on the pot and crack it slightly.
  7. While soup is simmering, make dumplings.
  8. Simmer for 20 minutes (add dumplings to pot after 10 minutes).

Note: SET A TIMER, if this cooks too long the lentils and potatoes will begin to break down and make the soup too thick.  Also, different color lentils have different tastes/textures and need to be prepared differently.  Try to find green lentils but if all you have available is brown lentils, go ahead and use them, the soup will just be thicker and less "broth-y".

Dumplings

  1. Add flour, salt, and water to a mixing bowl
  2. Knead until you have a ball of dough
  3. Break off small pieces and roll into about the size of a golf ball, press with pointer finger and thumb until it is shaped into circular dumpling with a dip in the middle.

Note: Knead until dough is firm and no dry flour remains.  If dough is too slimy, add flour.  If dough is too cracked and there is excess dry flour, add water.  There is a lot of room for error when making these. 

Dumplings take about 8-10 minutes to fully cook through.  A good indicator that they are cooked is when they float to the top of the pot.  If the 20 minutes are up and the dumplings aren’t finished, continue to simmer until they are.

 
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Serve

This may be eaten by itself or served in bowls over rice, whole grain noodles.  I love to dip toasted Ezekiel bread into it my soups!

I also made a video tutorial for this recipe, but the most up to date version of the recipe is on my blog so use the instructions above!  the video will help to see the general technique though, enjoy!

 

barrrington goldson