Goodness is….

I love the Winter in Israel.  The days are bright and blue and beautiful.  I love the rainy days that quickly follow the sun.  It makes everything golden, especially in the late afternoon.  I love these days when everything is quiet and rested.

The quiet is such a blessing.

A simply golden soup

(inspired from Mysore Style Cooking by V. Sandhya)

It is important to use yellow lentils (also known as tuvar dahl and not yellow split peas.  You could also replace with red lentils.  Also experiment with the pepper and lemon until the taste is just right.

Serves 2

1/2 cup yellow lentils (tuvar dahl)

3 cups water

2 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 tspn tamarind paste (optional)

1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

1 tspn ghee

1/2 tspn black mustard seeds

1/2 tspn cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

4 curry leaves (optional)

juice of half a lemon (or to taste)

2 tab fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Wash the lentils and place it with 3 cups of water into a heavy bottomed pot.  Cook for 20 – 30 minutes in the pot. Remove from the heat and using a hand blender, puree until smooth.

Add the tomatoes,  black pepper,salt and tamarind.  Bring to boil and turn off the heat.

In a small heavy bottomed pan, heat the ghee, then add the mustard seeds.  When they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves and cumin seeds.  Add this to the dahl, and mix in the fresh coriander and squeeze lemon juice to taste.

Serve hot.

Feeling fatigued?  Have a sore throat, sniffles, cough, headache, stomach upset or mild fever?  This soup will help cleanse and soothe your body of all those ailments.   But remember to rest.  Eat when your hungry.  Eat slowly…… until you feel soothed.  But stop short of familiar feelings of fullness.  Leave room to breathe in healing oxygen, and thank the trees for providing it.

Goodness shared from Stacey