Lentil and onion soup with crispy paneer tarka

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp crushed fresh root ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp cayenne or hot smoked paprika

15 fresh curry leaves

200g/7oz red lentils, washed and drained

1 ½ litres/2⅔ pints vegetable stock

1 lemon, juice only

4 tbsp olive oil

12 fresh curry leaves

80g/2¾oz paneer, cubed

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

2 tbsp crispy onions

Directions

To make the soup, sweat the onions, ginger and garlic for 10 minutes in olive oil until soft then add the spices, curry leaves and lentils. Cover with the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Finish with the lemon juice.

Use a hand-held stick blender or food processor to blend the soup into a smooth purée. Keep warm.

To make the tarka, fry the curry leaves until crisp in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove the leaves and set aside.

Add the remaining oil and paneer into the pan and colour on all sides until golden, this will take 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic then the mustard seeds, allowing them to sizzle, then add the coriander.

Spoon the tarka over the soup along with the reserved curry leaves and some crispy onions. Serve.