Taste of India: How to Make Dhal Soup

This is a recipe passed on to me by my grandfather. He had the privilege and honor of serving as a chef in the United States Army. They had him confined to easy to make dishes for policy reasons. It was on a special occasion that his staff would decide to break the rules and make something very special. They studied the Indian culture and came up with the Dhal Soup. This is going to be a treat for anyone that you make it for.

Welcome to a quick cooking guide from my family's large recipe book. This soup is a variation of the theme, made with red lentils and spiced with curry powder. The end result is a unique twist on a traditional lentil soup dish, with added fire to kick in a new level of spice.

Dhal Soup:

Ingredients:
-2 tbsp butter
-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-1 onion, chopped
-1/2 tsp turmeric
-1 tsp garam masala
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp ground cumin
-2 lb canned, chopped tomatoes, drained
-1 cup red lentils
-2 tsp lemon juice
-2 1/2 cups vegetable bouillon
-1 1/4 cups coconut milk
-Salt & pepper
-Chopped cilantro, for garnish
-Chopped lemon slices, for garnish
-Naan bread, to serve

Step One:

A large pan will be needed for the cooking of this soup. You will need to place the large pan on your cooking area. Melt the butter in the large pan and saute the garlic and onion for 2 to 3 minutes. You will need to stir occasionally during this step. During the 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time, please add the measured spices and cook the contents for another 30 seconds.

Step Two:

A solid stirring of the contents should continue throughout. Stirring will allow us to properly mix all the contents of the dish. This is a very important step to trying to get the most out of the flavor. You will continue to stir while adding in the next ingredients. Stir in the tomatoes, red lentils, lemon juice, vegetable bouillon, and coconut milk. Bring all the contents to a solid boil.

Step Three: