Here is a hearty, wholesome, thick dal soup. Although the cooking time is long, this recipe is by no means laborious, and the delicious result is well worth the time. Some of the spices and seasonings are cooked along with the dals to allow their qualities to permeate the dish; the others are fried in ghee or vegetable oil and added at the end for a burst of flavor. There are innumerable ways to assemble a five-dal soup, but this variation was given to me by Srila Prabhupada in Delhi. Though I have tried many variations since then, this one remains my favorite. The first time I cooked it, the chana dal was far from broken down when the other dals were cooked. Should this happen to you, note that in the future the dal must be soaked or cooked longer. If the chana dal takes longer than the others to cook, it may be old. Old dal can take up to twice the recommended cooking time to break down.
You can serve this dish in a bowl or spooned over hot rice. Try it with Shredded Cabbage with Green Peas, Clear Broth with Potatoes and Urad Badi and Carrots, Cashews and Dates in Smooth Yogurt . Piping-hot Griddle-Baked Paper-Thin Whole Wheat Bread is a perfect bread if you are having a full Vedic lunch.
Dal soaking time: 3–5 hours
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Serves: 6 to 8
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) split moong dal , without skins
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) split urad dal , without skins
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) split toovar dal or yellow split peas
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) green or yellow split peas
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) split chana dal
• 7 cups (1.75 liters) water
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) turmeric
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ghee or vegetable oil
• 1¼ teaspoons (6 ml) salt
• 4 ounces (115 g) fresh spinach or Swiss chard, washed, dried, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 1¾ teaspoons (8 ml) cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) minced seeded hot green chilies (or as desired)
• 1 cassia or bay leaf
• ⅓ teaspoon (1.5 ml) yellow asafetida powder ( hing) *
• ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) cayenne pepper or paprika (or as desired)
• ½ teaspoon (2 ml) garam masala
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) minced fresh parsley or coarsely chopped coriander
* This amount applies only to yellow Cobra brand. Reduce any other asafetida by three-fourths .
1. Sort, wash and drain the split dals as explained on our blog . Combine in a bowl, cover with hot water and soak for 3–5 hours. Drain.
2. Combine the five dals , water, turmeric, coriander, ginger root and a tablespoon (15 ml) of the ghee or vegetable oil in a heavy 3-quart/liter nonstick saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours or until the dals are soft and fully cooked.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the salt and beat with a wire whisk or rotary beater until the dal soup is creamy smooth. Add the spinach or Swiss chard and cover. Cook gently for 5–10 minutes longer.
4. Heat the remaining ghee or oil in a small pan over moderate to moderately high heat. When it is hot, toss in the cumin seeds and green chilies. Fry until the cumin seeds turn brown. Toss in the cassia or bay leaf, powdered asafetida and cayenne pepper or paprika, and just 1–2 seconds later add about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water. After 15–20 seconds, pour the fried spices into the cooked dal , sprinkle in the garam masala and cover. Allow the seasonings to soak into the hot dal for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the minced herb and serve.
