Curried Black Lentil Soup

Here's a great recipe for lentil soup that has a bit of a different flavor than your run of the mill lentil soup. I just made this for the first time. It is a great cool weather soup!


Ingredients:
1 cup mah dal (black lentils)
4 cups water
1 green chili chopped (or substitute with 1/2 tsp cayenne)
3 tbsps vegetable oil
1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces
1 medium onion, sliced finely
1 medium carrot, diced
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Rinse the lentils in water To remove dirt etc.
2. Pour the lentils, the 4 cups of water, the salt and half of the ginger into a pot. 3. Cook on low heat for 2 - 3 hours or pressure cook for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile...
4. Heat the oil and the rest of the spices together on medium low heat until spices are toasted, add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Remove the onions and repeat for the carrots until semi cooked.
5. Pour the above mixture into the lentils and simmer for at least another 30 minutes. The longer you simmer, the better it will taste. Add more salt to taste if necessary.