BEDA 17: Recipe Tuesday: Curried Lentil Cabbage Soup

It's finally not 187 degrees in my apartment which, by my calculations, means it's basically soup weather. This is an cheap, filling, yummy soup I make whenever I'm tight on cash, or just really want a good, healthy soup. Most of the ingredients are staples I almost always keep in the pantry or fridge, but feel free to adjust based on whatever veggies you have lying around. If you're not a spice person, leave 'em out, or adjust their amounts. Especially if you use broth, the soup will have plenty of flavor on its own. Graham adds cayenne for an extra kick.

Curried Lentil Cabbage Soup

1 tbs. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups roughly chopped cabbage

1 medium or two small potatoes (any variety), cubed

1 carrot, chopped 

1 cup lentils

8 cups water or vegetable broth

2 tsp. salt (more to taste)

1 tsp. fresh black pepper

2 tsp. curry powder (more if you like a super strong curry flavor) 

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

dash cinnamon

     In a large soup pot over medium heat, sautee the onions in the olive oil until almost translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, cabbage and potatoes, and sautee about one minute more. Add the spices, stirring continuously to ensure they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add all the water or broth and the lentils. Raise to high heat and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the lentils are cooked thoroughly. Serve with some crusty, homemade (or bakery!) bread. 

   This soup is even better reheated the next day when the flavors have really had a chance to fall in love and get married. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!