What We Ate Wednesday--Dal Soup

Hello lovelies! Last week I shared a recipe that I was surprised I hadn't shared before. This week is the same. I wanted to share another recipe that used curry paste since it was part of last week's recipe. I abhor food waste. When you are on a strict budget like us you can't afford to waste food. So I keep a list of recipes that use curry paste in my recipe folder so that when I open the jar I have a bank of recipes to choose from to help use it up in a timely manner.

First let me say...where has the summer gone? It has departed from Wales and left us damp and chilly. Oven time which had been temporarily suspended is back in business.

Soup is back on the menu, baby.

This soup is quick and easy to make.  It uses storecupboard ingredients like dried red lentils, a tin of tomatoes and a tin of coconut milk.  We now buy coconut milk for cheap from either Lidl or B&M Bargains but if you can't afford coconut milk or don't have any on hand you can wash out the tomato tin and measure out that much non dairy milk. Even better you can blend that milk with some dried desicated coconut and use that. It is not nearly as creamy, but It will do in a pinch. If you do buy a tin you can use regular or light. I buy whatever is on sale.

Dal Soup
1 onion, chopped
4 or more cloves of crushed garlic
1 cup dried red lentils (picked over for small stones and rinsed)
I tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
2.5 cups hot vegetable stock
2 TB Balti curry paste (or whatever flavour curry paste you have)
At the end:
1 TB toasted sesame oil
2 TB lemon juice (bottled is fine)

1. Cook the onion and garlic in a splash of oil or water. I tend to use water as the curry paste has oil.
2. Add the lentils, the tomatoes, the coconut milk,the curry paste and the hot veg stock and bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer.
3. After 20 minutes or so the lentils should be tender. Stir in the toasted sesame oil and lemon juice. Add some black pepper if you like.

This makes about 4 bowls which for two greedy vegans is 2 bowls each.  If you need it to be more filling or feed more people  then serve over rice or add naan bread.