Hearty Daal Lentil Soup

Nothing soothes the soul like a hot, hearty soup on a cold day.  For this recipe I use red lentils (daal) in this soup which makes it a robust, satisfying meal. Pair it with the beer bread to "take it up a notch"!
You will notice I used a head of Boston lettuce as my greens. It is a great way to use up any lettuce that you have in the house that might end up going bad or wilting. The Boston lettuce adds a nice buttery flavor in its content.
The recipe for the beer bread can be found at https://goankhana.blogspot.com/2015/02/easy-beer-bread-with-olives-jalepenos.html

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 large onion diced
1-2 large cloves of garlic finely minced
1 slice of ginger finely minced
1teaspoon of ground cumin
2 medium yellow potatoes diced (or whatever potatoes on hand)
1 large carrot, diced
1 small can of sweet corn 
1 cup of daal (red lentils) uncooked
4 cups of broth (I used Campells salt free stock)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 head Boston lettuce, washed and  roughly sliced
 (or 2 cups of any  chopped greens like spinach, swiss chard etc)

Method

Rinse the daal several times in  water, until the water remains clear. Cover the daal with cold water and leave aside.

Fry the onions, garlic and ginger in the oil until the onions are soft. Add the cumin, carrot and potato. Stir and let cook for a few minutes. Drain the daal and add to the pot. Mix well. Add the stock and the water. Add black pepper , give a stir and let the pot come to a boil on medium to high heat. Do not cover the pot. When the daal and potatoes are cooked (soft to the touch), add the corn and heat through. Lastly add the lettuce into the boiling pot and let heat through and wilt. This should only take a few minutes.The lettuce will remain a lovely green color. Stir well before serving.
Garnish with a few drop of hot sauce. (optional)

Notes: You can blend some of the contents if you want your soup to resemble a chowder. I prefer clear soups where I can dig down and scoop the solid ingredients. Enjoy!

Servings: 10 
Nutrition value:
calories 57,  Total fat .4g, cholesterol 0, carbohydrates 10.7 g, protein 3.8 g