Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- ½ cup yellow moong daal (washed, presoaked for half an hour, and drained)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 5-6 black peppercorns
- 1 small onion (roughly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (roughly chopped)
- 4 medium-large ripe tomatoes (total 600g, halved and quartered)
- 1 carrot (peeled and roughly sliced, approximately 1cm thick)
- 2 teaspoons salt or as per taste
- 1 ¾ cups water
Garnish
- Fresh herbs of your choice (coriander, parsley, or basil)
- Crushed black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Clean and Presoak Daal: In a bowl, add water to the yellow moong dal and wash thoroughly. Repeat rinsing 3-4 times until the water runs clear. Then soak the dal in fresh water, keeping it submerged by 1-2 cm, for half an hour.
- Prepare Vegetables: Roughly slice the onion, halve and quarter the tomatoes, peel and slice the carrot into about 1 cm thick pieces, and roughly chop the ginger while the dal soaks.
- Heat Oil and Temper Spices: On medium flame, heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, whole cloves, and black peppercorns. Sizzle the spices for 5-10 seconds, taking care not to burn them.
- Sauté Onions: Add the roughly sliced onions to the cooker and sauté for 30-45 seconds until softening.
- Add Remaining Vegetables and Spices: Add the chopped ginger, tomatoes, sliced carrot, salt, and 1 ¾ cups of water to the cooker. Stir gently to combine.
- Add Drained Daal: Drain the presoaked yellow moong dal and add it into the cooker with the vegetable mix.
- Pressure Cook the Soup: Close the pressure cooker lid securely and cook on high flame until the first whistle. Immediately reduce the flame to low and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the steam to release naturally before opening the lid.
- Blend Soup Smooth: Remove the cooked ingredients from heat and blend the soup until smooth using a blender or hand blender. Add hot water as necessary to adjust the soup to your preferred consistency. Bring the soup back to a boil if more water is added.
- Season and Garnish: Taste the soup and adjust salt or pepper if necessary. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs and crushed black pepper before serving.
Notes
- If a pressure cooker is not available, cook the dal and vegetables in a heavy-bottomed pot by simmering for 45-50 minutes until the dal is tender and vegetables are cooked through.
- Adjust the quantity of water to achieve desired soup consistency—thicker or thinner as preferred.
- This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated gently before serving.
- For a spicier version, add a pinch of chili powder or fresh green chilies during cooking.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Gluten Free
