This was the first recipe I wrote down for my book, THE VEGETARIAN RESET. I converted my favourite dal to a soup with a creamy cauliflower base, a kick from the green chile, and a lift from ginger and lemon. This hearty soup is loaded with nutrients from the moong dal and cashews, a breeze to make, and just so delicious.
Reprinted with permission from THE VEGETARIAN RESET by Vasudha Viswanath, The Collective Book Studio, January 2023. Photo credit Alexandra Shytsman.
Loaded Cauliflower Soup
2-3
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small Indian green chiles, jalapeño peppers, or Thai chiles, slit lengthwise
- 2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 cups/750ml water
- 1 medium head cauliflower (1 lb 5 oz/600g), leaves and stem trimmed, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup/28g raw cashews
- ¼ cup/30g yellow moong dal or split red lentils, soaked for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro/fresh coriander
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- 1 Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the green chile, ginger, and garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
- 2 Add the water, cauliflower, cashews, moong dal, salt, and turmeric and mix well.
- 3 Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the lentils are fully cooked and the nuts are soft, 20–25 minutes. You can also pressure cook the mixture until done (15 minutes on high pressure, natural release in an Instant Pot).
- 4 Blend the mixture until smooth with an immersion blender. Stir in the lemon juice, garnish with cilantro and black pepper, and serve.
