Sri Lankan Lentil and Spinach Soup
Where the classic Sri Lankan parippu is a thick dal you eat with rice, this is its thinner cousin, a spiced lentil broth loosened enough to drink and packed with wilted greens. Red lentils dissolve into their own creamy body, so no coconut milk is needed to make it rich. The soul of the pot is the tempering: mustard seeds popped dry, fenugreek toasted just to the edge of bitterness, curry leaves and garlic crackled in a splash of water rather than oil. Lime at the very end does the work of salt.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Red lentils, rinsed
- 4 cups Spinach, packed, chopped
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 12 Curry leaves
- 1 Pandan leaf, knotted
- 1/2 tsp Brown mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seed
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seed
- 1 tsp Coriander seed, toasted and ground
- 1 whole Indian green chile, slit
- 1 whole Fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, ground
- 1 1/2 tbsp Lime juice
Method
- Simmer the red lentils with the turmeric, knotted pandan, and 4 cups (950 ml) water until they collapse into a loose broth, about 20 minutes. Skim any foam in the first few minutes. Red lentils break down completely, which is what gives this soup its body without a thickener.
- Make the tempering. In a dry pan over medium-high heat, pop the mustard seeds covered until they crackle, then add the cumin and fenugreek for 30 seconds until fragrant. Fenugreek turns bitter fast, so pull the pan the moment it smells like maple and toast.
- Add the sliced garlic, slit chile, and curry leaves to the same pan with a splash of water and cook for a minute, until the garlic is soft and the curry leaves crackle. Stir in the chopped tomato and the toasted ground coriander and cook 2 minutes more.
- Scrape the whole tempering into the lentils and simmer together for 5 minutes. Pull out the pandan.
- Stir in the spinach and cook just until it wilts and stays bright green, about 2 minutes. Cut the heat and finish with the ground pepper and lime juice. The lime is the seasoning here, sharpening the earthy lentils in place of salt, so add it to taste at the end rather than during the cooking.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 185 calories, 12 g protein, 8 g fiber, 55 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
