1 cup yellow split peas
7-8 cups water
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4 large plum tomatoes, finely chopped
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1 1/2 inch piece finely chopped ginger
2-3 finely chopped green chilis
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder (or kashmiri) chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp brown sugar
generous handful dried curry leaves
handful of chopped fresh parsley or coriander
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2 tbsp oil
2-3 dried whole red chilis, broken into bits
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafetida
Wash the lentils well under warm water. Transfer to a large saucepan, pour in 8 cups of water, and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Bring lentils to a boil and reduce the heat to medium, cover. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer another 5 minutes.
Puree some of the soup with an immersion blender. Stir in the ginger, chilies, salt, spices, sugar and curry leaves, and continue to simmer for another few minutes.
For tempering, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the dried chilis, cumin seeds and mustard seeds to the pan. Stir for 30 seconds, or until the mustard seeds turn gray and begin to splutter and pop. Add the asafetida and then quickly pour the contents of the pan into the soup.
Stir once, cover, and remove the soup from the stove. Wait for 10-15 minutes to blend the flavors.
2020 Delicious, and easy even though there are lots of ingredients. Quick. Did not have or use dried curry leaves, dried whole chilis or asafetida (12/17/2020).
2021 Used a 4-ounce can mild green chilis instead of fresh green chili peppers. Used only 1/4 tsp Indian chili powder instead of 1 tsp. Instead of dried red chilis I added 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Used parsley instead of cilantro. Did not have or use dried curry leaves or asafetida. I used 7 cups of water instead of 8 since I soaked the lentils for 6-8 hours and they were all plumped up. Delicious! Loved the canned green chilis in it, also used fresh ginger chopped fine, and it made a big difference. The flavor was lovely, mildly hot. Could up the chili powders by 1/4 tsp next time and see. (1/4/2021)