Though this lemony soup lacks in looks, it more than makes up taste-wise. Light, subtle, earthy and flavorful with a whiff of asafoetida. Best to sip as a soup or over white rice.
Simple recipe with few ingredients and hardly any cooking time. I enjoy sipping this comforting soup on a cold rainy day.
Nimmakaya Charu Recipe
Prep & Cooking: 20-25 mts
Serves 4-5
Cuisine: Andhra
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1/4 cup cooked moong dal, mashed
juice of 2 lemons
4 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped (optional)
2-3 green chillis slit
large pinch turmeric pwd
salt to taste
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tbsp oil
pinch of mustard seeds (optional)
pinch of cumin seeds (optional)
pinch of methi seeds
large pinch hing/asafoetida/inguva
1 dry red chilli, tear and de-seed
10-12 curry leaves
1 Combine mashed dal with water, add salt, turmeric pwd and few curry leaves. Bring to a boil.
2 While the dal water is boiling, heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add the cumin seeds and methi seeds and once the cumin crackles and methi turns red, add curry leaves and red chilli. Finally add asafoetida.
3 Add the onions and green chillis and saute for 2 mts, add the tomatoes and combine.
4 Add the dal water to the sauteed onion-tomato mixture and cook for 5 mts. Turn off heat. Let it cool down a bit.
5 Add the lemon juice and combine. Adjust salt. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warm.
Adjust lemon juice according to your taste. You can also use left over cooked dal water to prepare this recipe.
