I have been meaning to write this recipe somewhere where it could be easily accessible and hopefully Holland will make it once she is all grown up. I hope is one of those soups that makes people think of a certain season, or a certain place. Lately I have been making more latin food to expose Holland to my culture. I made homemade bean tamales for the first time and some delicious arepas with home made cheese from fresh cow's milk and yogurt cultures. Anyways, me and Holland spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Even though Holland can barely peak at the edge of the counter and notice ingredients being shuffled and pans dancing around in multiple stove tops, I know she enjoys the smells, the shuffling of feet and the end product of chaos: food. Sit down meals must be her favorite pass time, she can stuff so much food in her mouth and make you smile. Fugee loves being at her feet and sometimes meals are accompanied by grandparents through video chat. That Holland of ours, she is a dream come true for anyone that ever thought a little human being could do so little and still brighten so many days with her unique character. I hope she remains as thoughtful, curious, playful and silly as always. Her delicate eyes communicate her emotions so well that any word she tries to say is redundant. She knows how to have fun and at 16 months she is rocking our world. Don't change Hollandsita mi vida linda. We love you and I dedicate this delicious soup to you.
Ingredients and directions
In pot:
1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
(start by boiling the water, then add lentils, when they look soft or most of the water is absorbed put aside)
In Chamba pot: Chamba pot is a clay pot from Colombia
1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil ( the best kind)
1 chopped yellow onion
2 medium tomatoes finely cubed
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of Turmeric
1 tsp of Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp of Coriander
Juice of 1/2 of Lemon
1 can of Coconut milk
( start by cooking onions in oil until bright yellow, then add all the spices and tomatoes, cook for 10 minutes at medium high heat) The clay pot takes a while to warm up and retains heat so well that the soup tastes so much better than when cooked in regular pot
( once the sauce looks thick and runny add the coconut milk in three amounts and stir after each different amount to incorporate slowly)
Add and reduce heat, cover pot:
3/4 cup of chopped cooked carrots
1 cup of chopped cooked potatoes
The cooked lentils
1 or 2 Bay leaves
1/2 inch of shredded ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 leaves of curly kale for color (add last)
Water if needed ( not to exceed a cup)
Let cook for 10-15 more minutes
Serve with warm bread or corn bread
At this stage she likes it better if I blend soup. You can use chickpeas instead of lentils too.
Yum
