Toor Dal Pumpkin Soup

My habit of collecting recipes is becoming an addiction of sorts, but I never forget my treasured copy of Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi. I've had this book for years, but there remain many culinary delights I have yet to explore. I was browsing through what I like to call the bible of Indian cuisine last week, looking for something warming, and also new. Ms. Devi's recipe for Golden Pumpkin Toovar Dal Soup seemed like an ideal soup to ease the Canadian January blues. The tartness of the lemon compliments the sweetness of the pumpkin perfectly in this soup. Yellow split peas or chana dal can be substituted for the toor dal though you may need to cook the soup for a little longer. This soup is even better and spicier when eaten the day after it's cooked.

It was also a good opportunity to use some of the pumpkin from the freezer left over from the Pumpkin Pie I made back in the Fall. Uncooked winter squash, such as butternut, or acorn, can be substituted for the pureed pumpkin.

Toor Dal Pumpkin Soup - adapted from Lord Krishnas Cuisine

2/3 cups of toor dal
6 1/2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of celery seed
1 cup of pureed pumpkin
2 teaspoons of finely minced ginger
4 - 5 hot green chillies, finely minced
juice from one lemon or lime
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of turmeric

2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
dash of cayenne
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
2 - 3 whole dried red chillies
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida powder
8 curry leaves, fresh or dried
2 - 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped

Rinse the toor dal well and soak in 3 cups of hot water for 3 hours. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, combine the water, celery seed, toor dal, pumpkin, ginger, green chillies, lime or lemon juice, bay leaf , turmeric and a dab of butter or oil. Stirring frequently, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until the dal is cooked completely. Remove the bay leaf and beat the soup with a wire whisk or puree with an electric hand blender.

Heat the ghee (or oil and butter) in a small pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, toss in the cumin and fenugreek seeds, black mustard seeds, cayenne, dried red chilies and sweetener. Stir fry for a minute or two. Remove the pot from the heat, drop in the asafetida powder and curry leaves and quickly pour the fried seasoning into the cooked dal. Cover immediately and let sit for a few minutes so the flavours blend into the dal. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Yields approximately 6 servings.

I'm sharing this recipe with Pam who will shortly be hosting the next round of Leftover Tuesday's.