Soup weekend - Lentils with Garbanzo beans and Choy Sum

Since both V and I have been feeling a little under the weather, we decided to do an end-of-the-(cold)season soup weekend. We usually try to cook enough to last us for atleast part of the week, so we made 3 different kinds of soups - a lemon pepper rasam (this is the Indian mom's version of chicken soup), an Indian-style lentil soup with Garbanzo beans and choy sum, and a barley mushroom soup. V made the last one with a recent recipe from the New York Times, while I made the other two. The lemon pepper rasam is from Dakshin, my trusted South Indian cookbook, and the Indian style lentil soup is my own creation. So here's the recipe.



Ingredients:

Garbanzo beans (kaabuli chana) - 1 cup
Lentils (thuvaram paruppu/toor dal) - 1 cup
1 bunch choy sum (you can use spinach instead)
1 inch piece ginger grated
4-5 pods of garlic minced
2-3 green chilies slit into halves
1-2 dried red chilies
1 yellow onion - chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch garam masala
cumin seeds (jeeragam) for tempering
1 Tbsp vegetable oil for tempering
chopped cilantro for garnish

Advance preparation:

1. Wash the garbanzo beans and soak in warm water overnight. Pressure cook (or cook on stove) till it is soft
   
2. Wash the lentils and pressure cook (or cook on stove) till it is mushy. If you are cooking it on the stove, then it is preferable to soak it in warm water for an hour or so.
   
3. Wash the choy sum, and remove the ends. Separate the green leaves from the stems. Chop them separately.
   

Method:

1. In a wok, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.
2. When fragrant, add the red chilies and green chilies and stir for a few seconds
3. Add the onion and after a few minutes add the garlic and ginger and cook till the onion is translucent
4. Add just the stems of the choy sum. Sprinkle some water in the wok, cover and simmer till it is soft
5. Add the garbanzo beans and lentils, and heat through
6. Add the choy sum greens, cover and cook just for a few minutes
7. Season with salt, pepper and garam masala, heat through and switch off
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving

We recently procured a Lodge cast iron pan to replace our non-stick pan (for health reasons) and we are quite excited about it. It weighs a ton however and the lid actually is heavier than the pan! Will take a little getting used to!

The above recipe goes to the vegetarian soup event at Lisa's kitchen: "No Croutons Required".