Recipes
Butternut Squash & Toor Dal
Author:
Preeti Mistry
Servings
yield 3 quarts
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
"Toor dal is one of my favs, these small yellowish round lentils cook fairly quickly and thus this soup is a good choice when pressed for time. Their deeply aromatic, almost floral qualities blend beautifully with the earthy sweetness of butternut squash. A meal on its own, I like to throw in some rainbow chard, kale or mustard greens to just lightly wilt and eat over basmati rice."
Ingredients
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2 cups toor dal
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¼ cup neutral oil
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10 each curry leaves
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½ yellow onion, julienned
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2 tablespoons Dal Blend
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2 cups butternut squash, 1 inch dice
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½ teaspoon turmeric
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1 teaspoon tamarind paste
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1 teaspoon salt
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2 cups dark greens (such as chard, kale or mustard greens)
Directions
Rinse dal under cold water and drain dal 4 times. Soak rinsed dal in warm water to cover for about 30 minutes.
Transfer dal and butternut squash to stockpot, and add water to fully cover dal & squash by at least 2 inches of water. Season with 2 pinches of salt. Place stockpot on high heat and bring to a boil.
When water comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until dal & squash are soft and fork tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Puree with immersion blender or puree in traditional blender in batches.
Heat a large stockpot on high heat with oil, add curry leaves, onion and a pinch of salt.
After about 3 minutes when onions start to soften add Dal Blend and turmeric. Season with two pinches of salt. Stir to incorporate spices, about 3 minutes.
Pour in dal/squash puree, and stir to combine.
Add 1 cup of water and tamarind paste.
Increase heat to high, and add greens. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer for at least 20 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.