Mornings and evenings are turning cool, and a hot bowl of soup is welcome. To save making it from scratch each time, Kolkata's Ei Samay offers a recipe for a premix powder to keep at home.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons each of pigeon pea (arhar), mung and red lentils; 8 almonds; half a tablespoon of black pepper; 1 teaspoon of cumin; a quarter teaspoon of fenugreek seeds; 3 dried chillies; 1 tablespoon of curry leaves; 2 tablespoons of milk powder; 2 tablespoons of onion powder; 1 tablespoon of garlic powder; 2 tablespoons of cornflour; half a teaspoon of black salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Method: dry-roast the lentils, almonds, pepper, cumin, fenugreek, chillies and curry leaves over low heat until fragrant, then cool. Grind them with the milk powder, onion and garlic powders, cornflour, black salt and sugar to a fine powder, and the premix is ready.
Storage: keep it completely dry in a clean, dry, airtight container, away from moisture, and check for any odd smell or mould before use.
To make soup, mix a few spoonfuls of premix in a little cold water so it does not form lumps, then add hot water and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Add finely chopped vegetables such as carrot, beans or peas if you like, and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Photo: red lentil soup (file), jules / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Ei Samay
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