If you are wondering what to do with the festival vegetables like sweet potatoes, yellow pumpkin, and broad beans after pongal, look no further — I have an idea!
Let’s make soup!
I am a big fan of soups that include grains or carbs, so they can easily doubly as a hearty meal. To add a quick protein boost, I throw in soaked and cooked dried beans or lentils. After the easy-made cooker meals, this is definitely my next favourite way to enjoy a lot of veggies with minimal effort.
I used organic quinoa, which was slightly unpolished and had a darker colour, I really enjoyed eating it — it reminded me of popcorn in a way. Guess what? You can make popped Quinoa too!
Red lentils Quinoa soup with vegetables
Servings: Two small servings
Ingredients
Dried split red lentils – 50g
Ginger (peeled) – 7g
Garlic (peeled and one end removed) – 6g
Refined sunflower oil – 1 Tablespoon
Red tomato (whole) – 117g
Avarakkai (broad beans /hyacinth beans) – 40g
Yellow pumpkin – 93g
White sweet potato (peeled and ends removed) – 77g
Organic white quinoa (uncooked) – 40g
Delhi carrot (peeled and ends removed) – 41g
water – 418g
Madras curry powder – 6g
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala – 1/4 teaspoon
Tablesalt – as required.
Coriander leaves – 4g
Recipe Instructions
- Prep:
- Wash all vegetables thoroughly and chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash the split red lentils twice in water, then soak them for at least 30 minutes.
- Rinse the quinoa twice, then cook it in enough water until tender. Note: This does not include the water quantity mentioned in the ingredients. This is separate.
- My packet instruction said to cook for 15 minutes. Follow yours! Strain through a sieve and set it aside.
- Mince the ginger and garlic finely.
- Split and chop the avarakkai (broad beans).
- Cooking:
- Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.
- Add the minced ginger and garlic to the oil, sauteing until fragrant.
- Add the chopped avarakkai, followed by the carrot, yellow pumpkin, sweet potato, and tomato. Sauteing them separate one after the another.
- Season with salt, then add the soaked lentils, curry powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala. Stir to combine.
- Pour in water to cover the vegetables and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Let it cook for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are tender.
- Final touch:
- Once the vegetables and lentils are cooked, add the cooked quinoa to the wok and stir to combine.
- Add chopped coriander leaves, and let the soup simmer for another 2 minutes to blend the falvours.
- Serve:
- Taste and adjust seasoning and water if necessary. Serve hot and enjoy a nutritious meal!
How does it taste?
The soup had a delightful balance of spice from the garam masala and curry powder, with a touch of sweetness from the sweet potato whenever you bite into the pieces.
The minced ginger added a nice crunch, and the quinoa popped wonderfully in my mouth with each bite.
