Red Lentil Soup

I found this recipe when wanting to improve my basic Red Lentil dal. I ate dal bhat every day, often two times a day, in Nepal and over time it came to be one of the most satisfying dishes I've ever eaten. So much so, that any other food didn't register as food. I was only "full" after eating dal bhat. 

What made this dish so good was the addition of sesame seeds and the end stage addition of the tomatoes and cilantro. It almost had a Mexican flavour to it. The difference it makes puts it in the category of things you would serve people, whereas I'd keep the plain dal as a home food. 

INGREDIENTS:

(Adjust amounts to your taste)

1 cup red lentils (orange lentils will work as well)
3 cups water
3 plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons grapeseed, vegetable, canola or other high-heat oil
1/2 cup white or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped and made into a paste*
2 teaspoons of Bengali five spice mix (panch phoron) or 1/2 tsp black (or white) sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and (if available) 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (JUST USE WHAT YOU HAVE AT HOME)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
1 lime, juiced (equal to about 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or lemon)
8 sprigs cilantro, de-stemmed and chopped

METHOD: 

(You can simplify.)

Place 1 cup of red lentils in a metal sieve. Rinse well with cold water. Pour cleaned lentils into a medium sauce pan. Add 3 cups of water. Bring lentils and water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

After the lentils in step 1 have cooked at least 5 minutes, start preparing the onions and spices. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic paste and cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously, making sure that the garlic does not burn. Add the Bengali five spice. Cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Add bay leaf and turmeric. Stir.

To the onions and spices, add the cooked lentils along with the lentil cooking water. Add salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Add lime juice and tomatoes. Cook for 3-5 more minutes. Adjust salt if necessary. Stir in chopped cilantro and remove from heat. Garnish with more chopped cilantro.

Serve with basmati rice or naan bread.

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