Alright, I’ve only got 2 soup recipes to create, before my self-imposed challenge is finally over. I somehow feel like I have to pay homage to my favourite cooking ever, which is Indian. As my IBS got worse, I had to seriously cut down on lentils and chickpeas, which I decided to avoid for 3 months. When I slowly started reintroducing them, I found that my tolerance level for red lentils hadn’t changed much, which I was glad for (I was honestly expecting it to drop, after such a long time without eating them). I can proudly get away with a mild bloating if I consume up to 50g dried red lentils! As to the chickpeas, well, my tolerance level dropped dramatically, and I can now consume only a couple of tbsps, without feeling bad. Sad story! 🙁 However, at the moment, I’m not as interested in increasing that level as I am in feeling well and with a flat stomach, so I’ll leave it for now. It could be my next challenge, who knows…

Dahl has always been one of my favourite foods, something I could have everyday without getting tired of it. As I cannot consume it as often as I used to, and as I have to reduce my lentil portions, I made some changes to the traditional recipe, to make it more digestible.  Obviously, eating such a small amount of lentils doesn’t satisfy my protein need, so I had some baked tofu with my soup, to hit my macros.

 My recipe serves 2 people with my tolerance level: if yours is lower, just have half of it, and add in some basmati rice, to give your dish the same volume.

Ingredients:

100g Red Lentils (dried)

1 medium to large Courgette

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Cumin Seeds or Powder

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 tsp Coriander Powder

1 inch Fresh Ginger

2 tsp Coconut Oil

Fresh, Filtered Water,

Sea or Himalayan Salt

Cooking Method

Soak your lentils for a few hours or overnight. Rinse them thoroughly, place in a pot with just enough water to cover them and some salt. Place a lid and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, chop your courgette into tiny, thin strips or triangles.

As the water starts to boil, skim off as much foam as you can, and add in turmeric, 1 tsp coconut oil and your chopped courgette. Reduce heat to minimum and simmer for about 20 minutes, until your soup reaches a porridge-like consistency.

While your Dahl soup is still finishing cooking, dry fry cumin seeds or powder in a small pan and set aside. In the same pan, heat up 1 tsp coconut oil and add in all of the spices (your roasted cumin included). Fry for a few seconds, turn off, and add your spices to the soup.