Spinach Soup

Inspiration for this soup is the traditional “Kadaintha (or) Kadanja Keerai” recipe. This is my version of the same. Kids and I enjoyed the warm soup with some toast on a snowy cold November afternoon in Schaumburg. K ate it up fairly quickly and little man had his share with rice cereal mixed in. I skipped black pepper to keep it light on spice, wanted it to be kid friendly. What actually prompted me to convert this recipe to soup is that, we ended up with 4 loaves of bread this week. P and I shopped at different times on the same day and bought 2 loaves each of cinnamon raisin and white bread. We generally do not have rules around buying bread. So, it was nice to be in that “similar thinking” point in time for a minute. After 7 long years we are probably getting there!

Spinach – 1 bunch

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 1 medium

Green chillies – 2 or 3, depending on the kind you use and what spice level you prefer.

Garlic – 3 pods

Toor dhal – ¾ cup

Mustard, jeera, hing, curry leaves – a tsp each for tempering

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Corriander powder – 1 tsp

In a pressure cooker, add the chopped spinach with onions, tomato, green chillies, garlic and salt. Add in the dhal with 2 cups of water. Nothing else. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Upon cooling, puree this aromatic blend in a blender – I pulsed it mostly.

Heat up some ghee in a pan, temper the ingredients listed for tempering. Add a tsp each of turmeric and coriander powder. Pour in the divine spinach blend, simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Done! That simple.

What I loved best about this soup is the silky texture when I poured it out of the blender. Just so rich, yet humble. Lately I am keen on jotting down recipes with lesser ingredients. It is getting to be my thing in the kitchen these days – simplify, simplify and simplify.