red lentil-vegetable soup with barley



A soup when you want a hearty one pot meal . All the fresh vegetables are complemented very well with red lentils . I use barley for it's health promoting benefits as well as for a nice starchy bite , almost like a meaty pasta . In this soup all the elements seem to complement each other so well , the colorful vegetables have been cooked till very soft but not mushy , barley is another soft bite while the lentils provide the base . Tempered with a lot of garlic , the way i love all my lentil soups .

ingredients...

red lentils 2 tbsp
pearl barley 2 tbsp
baby bok choy 4 heads
celery stalk1 no.
spring onion bulbs 2 nos.
carrots 2 nos.
garlic cloves 8-10 chopped finely ( small Indian cloves)
finely chopped ginger 2 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
butter 1 tbsp

procedure...

Wash the red lentils and keep aside.

Chop all the vegetables in small pieces and keep aside.
Heat butter in a pan and throw in the cumin seeds and garlic . Wait till both become brownish , add the ginger followed by chopped vegetables . Toss and stir fry for a few seconds .

Add the washed red lentils , barley , salt and pepper . Add water ( about 500 ml ) and turmeric powder , cover to cook on medium heat till the lentils are mushy and soft and barley is cooked and plump . Adjust water to make it desirable consistency , adjust seasonings too.


I have not added any chillies to the soup , it's just the ginger and black pepper for heat and it was great this way . All the flavors of the fresh vegetables were intact and there was just enough heat for the soup , the flavor of garlic was awesome.

No garnish is required when there is great color naturally in the soup . Parsley or cilantro would be great of you feel like a fresh green kick to it. 

Comments

  1. great soup and I mean it. now that I am dieting (in a healthy way) I drink a lot of very light red lentil soup. this one looks very comforting but never used barley. have to look for it.
    happy Puja Sangeeta.

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  2. Hi Sangeeta,

    Very healthy soup...Thanx for sharing.

    Dr.Sameena@

    www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

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  3. Hi Sangeeta,
    I've been following your recipes for quite sometime now and I totally love them. I like your choice of ingredients: desi and videshi. I especially like the way you balance out all your meals (carbs, protein, veggies) and also prepare them according to ayurveda rules. Makes it both healthy, tasty and satisfying! I've become a big fan of your cooking and have recommended your blog to my relatives. Keep up the great work!

    - Shruthi, TX, USA

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  4. Thank you ladies for the sweet words.

    Shruthi...This is the food i love for myself and not what is fashionable . I am so glad that you find my kind of food good for you. Thanks for recommending this site to your friends and relatives....this is really inspiring and motivating for me.

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  5. :) :) This is Sangeeta here .
    Thanks Savitha.

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  6. I like the idea of this lentil soup with barley.

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  7. I like barley and lentils in soups but have never combined the two. This soup sounds delicious and healthy.

    Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment :)

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  8. Pardon ignorance, but by red lentils do you mean masoor dal or tuar dal?

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  9. @ Rajani...red lintils are masoor daal.

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