My dear friends Alysse and Jack had my little girl and I over for a mini-dinner party and made a vegan version of this soup. It was DIVINE! The same week I had to make my own version with the addition of oven-baked tandoori chicken because the little one looooooves chicken! With or without the chicken, this soup is lovely and so balanced in flavor it’s pretty much a food symphony. So good! You can also make one pot go a little farther by serving it over fluffy, jasmine rice. Added bonus: it only gets tastier as the flavors meld in the fridge making delicious leftovers!
If making the tandoori chicken, make sure to allow enough time for it to marinate in the refrigerator, at least 12 hours.
Oh and here are some pretty glasses, ya know, just ’cause:)…
- 2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger, use a microplane
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tb finely grated (on microplane) fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¾ cup split red lentils
- 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro + coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish
- 3 cups broth or water (or any mix of the two)
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken
- plain yogurt, for serving
- Lime wedges (for serving)
- Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl and whisk smooth.
- Add chicken and marinade to a ziplock bag and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Transfer chicken to baking sheet and spoon the remaining marinade over the chicken chunks.
- Bake for around 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.Once cooked through, broil for about 3 minutes until chicken darkens on the edges.
- Heat coconut oil in a medium saucepan.
- Sauté onion until softened and brown, around 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, and Garam Masala and sauté for a few minutes.
- Stir in lentils and cook for another minute or so .
- Add tomatoes, ½ cup cilantro, a four-fingered pinch of salt, a generous grind of fresh pepper and broth/water and coconut milk.
- Bring to a boil, add tandoori chicken, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes until lentils are cooked.
- Taste soup and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- To serve, divide among bowls and drizzle with plain yogurt, toss extra cilantro on top and squeeze a lime wedge over each bowl. Serve with extra lime wedges. ENOJY!!!
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