Serves: 4
Total Calories: 104

2 to 3 tablespoons Tamarind Paste or lemon juice
1 cup dried yello split pigeon peas (toor dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
1 to 3 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
5 cups water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
12 to 15 fresh curry leaves
2 teaspoons chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground asafoetida

1. Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, place the dal, ginger, green chili peppers, tomato, turmeric, salt, and water in a pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook about 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat and allow to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the lid, let cool, then pass everything through a food mill or a fine-mesh strainer and place in a bowl.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin and mustard seeds they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so cover the pan and reduce the heat until the spluttering subsides. Quickly add the curry leaves, stir a few seconds, then add the chickpea flour, paprika, and asafoetida and stir until the chickpea flour is fragrant and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Mix in the dal soup, the tamarind, and more water if you want, bring to a boil, and continue to boil, over medium-high heat the first 2 to 3 minutes and then over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes, to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 104
Calories from Fat: 33

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Soups
Cabbage Soup with Vegetables
Carrot-Ginger Soup
Cashew Corn Soup in Chicken Broth
Chicken Soup with Chayote Squash
Chicken Soup with Cream-Style Corn and Green Chili Peppers
Chicken Soup with Ginger and Coconut Milk
Chickpea Soup with Chicken Broth
Chilled Chickpea Soup
Chilled Potato Soup
Chilled Roasted Vegetable Soup
Chunky South Indian Tomato Soup
Classic South Indian Ginger Soup
Creamy Almond-Poppy Seed Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup
Curried Green Pea Soup
Fast Black Bean Soup, Indian Style
Fragrant Yogurt Soup
Goan Caldo-Verde Soup with Cauliflower
Goan Shrimp Soup
Mulligatawny Soup
Mysore Coconut Soup
Puréed Mushroom Soup with Yogurt
Puréed Pumpkin Soup
Puréed Spinach Soup
Quick Black Chickpea Soup with Cumin Seeds
Quick Lentil, Barley and Vegetable Soup
Quick Puréed Root Vegetable Soup
Quick Sindhi Split Pigeon Pea Soup with Tamarind
South Indian Buttermilk Soup
South Indian Lemon Soup with Mung Beans
South Indian Tamarind Soup
Spicy Chicken Broth
Spicy Lamb Broth
Spicy Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Tomato
Spicy South Indian Vegetable Soup with Tamarind
Spinach Yogurt Soup
Tomato Soup with Fresh Curry Leaves
Tomato Soup with Sautéed Vegetables
Tomato Soup with Yellow Mung Beans
Traditional South Indian Split Pigeon Pea Soup
Vegetable Soup with Yogurt and Coconut
Vegetarian Broth
Yellow Mung Beans and Spinach Soup with Sizzling Cumin Oil
Yogurt Soup with Flame-Roasted Eggplant