Indian Lentil Vegetable Soup
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Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
This is one of my family's favorite go-to recipes. It's fairly quick and easy to make, if you have a food processor and a pressure cooker. Once it's at pressure, it only cooks for 4-5 minutes. The combination of Indian spices and the variety of vegetables makes this a very healthy, delicious, and comforting soup.
Ingredients
  • 4 cups chopped onion
  • 4 cloves garlic — minced
  • 7 cups boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2-1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • ½ medium head cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 bag Fungus AmongUs Organic Mushroom Medley, (dried mushrooms, 1 oz), crushed into smaller pieces
  • 1 jar Jovial Diced Tomatoes (18 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
  • Juice from 1 lemon and/or 2 tsp sumac
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients through the mushrooms to a 6 quart pressure cooker.
  2. Stir all ingredients, then layer the tomatoes but do not stir.
  3. Seal the pressure cooker and bring it up to high pressure.
  4. Reduce heat to maintain pressure (unless using an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot).
  5. Cook at pressure for 4 minutes (5 minutes in the Instant Pot); then remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally. (If you're in a hurry, you can cook at pressure for 10 minutes and quick release.)
  6. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and sumac (if using).
Notes
To add a nutrient boost to this soup, ladle over raw greens, such as kale or spinach (rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces). The heat from the soup will cook the greens perfectly! Enjoy with cooked millet or oat groats for a heartier meal. Another great tip from my friend, Chef AJ (EatUnprocessed.com): If you like this soup and want to keep it in your regular rotation, use some old empty spice jars and fill several of them at a time with all of the spices that go into this soup (except the parsley and sumac, which are stirred in at the end). Label the jars so that the next time you make this soup, you can just grab one and use it without having to measure out the individual spices. This works for all recipes and is a real time saver!
Recipe by Eat Well, Stay Well | Sharon McRae | Plant-Based Certified Health Coach | Columbia, MD at https://eatwell-staywell.com/2015/01/20/indian_lentil_vegetable_soup/