Summer has arrived in Israel, and the weather is scorching. I gather all the vegetables I need for the day from the garden early in the morning. Everything looks fresh, green, and moist from the morning watering and the mild temperatures. This time of day spares the plants from the harshness of the sun. I have been dedicating many late afternoons to the garden, giving it the tender care it needs, and in return, it has rewarded me with an abundance of wonderful produce.

In the blink of an eye, my zucchinis and cucumbers double in size. The garden is filled with many plump, red tomatoes beaming from their vines. My favourite additions to a salad are the yellow teardrop tomatoes, which add a beautiful pop of colour. There’s also plenty of kale, parsley, silverbeet, Swiss chard, baby corn, and large corn. The peppermint and mint have grown wildly, alongside green and purple basil. I have also cultivated snake beans, French beans, melons, red and green bell peppers, and recently dried chamomile. There’s so much more hidden away. I’ve kept the lettuces growing by planting them in the shade of other plants or under the colourful flowers that peek out among the vegetables. And, of course, there are the sunflowers that… well, they are just like the sun itself.

This is our goose, who has a soft spot for my son. My son named him “Kangaroo” because he was born just after we had come back from a holiday in Australia.

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mixed dal soup with slivers of ginger

serves 6

This mixed dal was inspired by a recipe from ‘The Vegetarian Table’ by Yamuna Devi.  I was following the recipe when I discovered I had misinterpreted the dal she used and instead created a different version, which I love. Its flavours centre on equal portions of three dal – whole mung dal, yellow toor dal and green split pea.  Simple and nutritious. Hearty and clean. It can be served as a soup or as a dal with rice.  What I like most about this mixed dal soup is the slivers of ginger and its unique lemony taste.  The ginger gives a nice, warm surprise when you bite into it.

Ideally, all three dals should be soaked overnight. This will cut down on the cooking time and aid in better digestion, but it is also fine not to if you are cooking spontaneously, as I find I do a lot.

ingredients

½ cup each whole mung beans, toor dal (yellow lentils) and green split pea

8 – 9 cups water

1½ inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slivers

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp ghee – divided

1½ Tbsp cumin seeds

1½ Tbsp ground coriander

2 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

1 hot green chilli, seeded and cut into slivers

a handful of trimmed coriander leaves, a few reserved for garnishing

juice of 1 lemon

1½ tsp fine rock salt

preparation 

  1. In a large pot, rinse the dal until the water runs clear (remember to save this water for the garden), drain, add 8 cups water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam that collects on the surface, and then add the ginger, turmeric, bay leaf, and one teaspoon ghee.
  2. Gently boil, almost covered, until the dal is soft and broken down, approximately 45 minutes —1 hour (if the dal has been soaked, it will take much less time). Season with salt.
  3. Heat the remaining ghee and stir in the cumin seeds. Fry until fragrant and golden, then add ground coriander, tomatoes, and chilli. Fry until pulpy and thick, about 5 – 7 minutes.
  4. Pour 1 cup cooked dal into the pan, toss in fresh coriander, and stir to mix the ingredients. Then, add this mixture back into the soup.
  5. Stir in the lemon juice and season with more salt, if needed.

When serving, garnish with fresh coriander and drizzle with ghee.

Shared goodness from Stacey