Burnt Lemon Chana Dal Soup

Ingredients

• ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 200 grams onion, minced 1 medium onion
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup chana dal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoons turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• Cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

1. 1
   Put the lemon skin-side up, right under the heating element of your broiler and turn it on high. Broil until the skin of the lemon is black.
2. 2
   In a pressure cooker, add the olive oil and cumin seeds and fry until the seeds start to pop and are very fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the onions and sauté until they are translucent and start turning brown.
4. 4
   Add the vegetable stock, chana dal, salt, turmeric, bay leaf and burnt lemon, and then afix the lid, setting the pressure to high.
5. 5
   Turn up the heat to high to bring the cooker up to pressure. When it starts hissing loudly, turn down the heat to maintain a gentle hiss and set the timer for 20 minutes.
6. 6
   After cooking for 20 minutes, use the quick release method to release the pressure (see your instruction manual for details on your specific model of pressure cooker) and open up the cooker.
7. 7
   Remove the lemon and bay leaf and then use a stick blender to puree the soup, add salt and water as needed to adjust the seasoning and viscosity to taste.
8. 8
   Garnish with cilantro.