Curried Tomato Lentil Soup

The crisp sandwich was divine, but I wanted something tomatoey and warm to accompany it. Enter this soup. I used curry spices to aid digestion and add a sweet warmth with the cinnamon and cardamom. The lentils are to add a bit more soluble fibre and bulk to this recipe, as the sandwich does not have much with the white bread, butter, and crisps. This recipe is reminiscent of tomato soup and grilled cheese with the soup sandwich pairing. Let me know what you think! This recipe serves two.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 pinch cumin seeds
• 1 pinch coriander seeds
• 1 pinch fennel seeds
• 2 cardamom pods, broken apart
• 1 thumb ginger, minced
• ½ cup onion, minced
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 pinch salt (to taste)
• 1 cup courgette, cubed
• 1 cup lentils, cooked
• ½ cup chickpeas, cooked
• 1 can tomatoes (choose the texture you prefer)
• 1 Tbsp. nut butter (I used cashew butter)
• Lime wedge (garnish)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pot on the stove at medium heat
2. Add the whole seeds to temper until brown or aromatic
3. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to sauté
4. After 30 seconds, add the courgette to sauté
5. After 1 minute, add the ground spices
6. Once the spices begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, add the lentils, chickpeas, and tomatoes
7. Add water to reach desired consistency
8. Let mixture come to a boil, then turn the temperature down to a simmer
9. After simmering for 3-5 minutes, turn off the heat
10. Add nut butter and stir to combine
11. Let soup cool with lid askew for 5 minutes
12. Serve with a sandwich of your choice
13. Enjoy