Lentil Soup

Telugu: Pappu Pulusu.
Serves: One cup uncooked lentils, this serves 4.

a) the powder.

Ingredients:
1) 15 dry red chillies
2) 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
3) 2 and 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds.

Procedure:
Roast all 3 till dry in a wok/pan (prefrable no color change of chillies)
Grind to a fine powder.

b) the soup base

Ingredients
1) Lentils (yellow, split and dry) (Indian arhar dal OR moong dal only)
2) tamarind paste - 1 teaspoon
3) sugar 1 teaspoon
4) powder (see above) 1 teaspoon
5) 1 teaspoon oil
6) asafoetida powder
7) mustard seeds
8) curry leaves

Procedure:
1) Steam lentils in pressure cooker and mash well.
2) Add water (2 cups) in a pot, mashed lentils, tamarind paste, sugar, salt and powder. stir well. Boil.
3) Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they pop add asafoetida and curry leaves.
4) simmer for 5-7 mins on medium

Variation 1:
Stir onions, boil (but they SHOULDNT be mashed) while soup simmers

Variation 2
Add fried garlic at the end, and boil for a minute.

Variation 3:
Add cooked drumsticks while soup simmers.

Best with rice.