Sausage and Dhal Soup

Our friend Prasanth was due for another dinner shared with us at our house, and with it being frigid cold outside and snow up to the wazoo, i was looking to make a hearty soup that would fill us and warm us at the same time. This soup did both. Prasanth is Indian and and him and I often exchange delicious recipes from our homeland and we are slowly teaching each other how to make one another's dishes. Nathan benefits from both because he gets to just sit and eat all the food:) one dish that is familiar to both India and Bangladesh is dhal. A yellow lentil cooked down till fragrant and soft, and eaten regularly as either a soup, or even a drink if pureed down. I used to eat it for almost every meal when living in Bangladesh for a small season. I can still see all the little brown hands and eyes peeking behind the tin cups and banged up shallow pans, feasting on dhal and potatoes and I was honored to sit on the cement floor among them, drinking the golden liquid, content with this small act of simplicity. 

This evening however, I decided to add meat. I make an Italian lentil soup that is quite similar, but i wanted to add my Bengali profiles to this one, but also include the sausage.  I also added a ton more veggies, where traditional dhal is mostly lentils, and maybe a hot pepper.  I was looking for heft and girth, not light and breezy:)


Prasanth was very encouraging of the soup after one bite. He really enjoyed it and asked me what spices i used and how I prepared it, and that always makes me feel special because he is a much better foreign cook than i am, but i sure appreciate his enthusiasm. Both him and Nathan licked their bowls clean..

It is hearty and rich, full of unexpected flavors, yet familiar in some areas with the Italian sausage adding a comfort that is much appreciated. 

p.s. it may seem like a lot of ingredients, but its only because I just happened to have it all on hands. Be free with it. You can add or subtract as you wish:)


you'll need:
2 cups moong dhal [small yellow lentils, found in most indian markets]

1/4 cup red moong dhal [small red lentils, also found in the indian market]
1/2  cup yellow split peas
1 lb italian sausage
2 cups chicken stock, more as needed
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated [about a coin's worth]
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp parsley

in a large soup pan, soak lentils, rinse, then recover with water, and turn on to simmer.

in a large pan, saute carrots, celery, and green pepper, along with garlic and ginger using a little olive oil. [want to make it extra rich? use ghee]

add mustard, coriander. stir and toss, and then throw into lentil pot. 

in same pan, brown sausage and break into small pieces. add red pepper flakes. 

while that's going, move over to dhal pot and add remaining spices; turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, fenugreek, and parsley. stir in chicken stock.

combine cooked meat and pepper flakes into pot. 

stir, simmer, cook. mix. 

cover and let simmer on medium, stirring every so often. 

towards the end, stir in spinach

serve with fresh soft bread.

enjoy:)