By Annika Patel

Happy New Year! After all the cooking, baking and over-indulgence of the holiday season, are you craving some simple, wholesome nourishment? If yes, I have an amazing recipe to share, perfect for January as well as all year round. Pigeon pea lentils (yes, they are lentils not peas) are one of the richest sources of plant protein. Furthermore, don’t let the list of ingredients fool you - not counting the herbs and spices, there are only three ingredients.

Annika Patel is a commercial photographer and freelance writer residing in Bolnore Village. She is passionate about home-cooking and believes creating meals from scratch is the cheapest way to eat the healthiest food and one of the best ways to help our struggling planet.

Ingredients (6-8 servings)
• 200 g dried split yellow pigeon pea lentils
• 325 g (about 3-4) tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp red chili powder
• juice of 3 navel oranges*
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

* When oranges are not in season, replace with 1 tbsp jaggery (or honey) and 2 tbsp lemon juice (more or less depending on taste)

Method
1. Wash the dried lentils and soak in cold water for about 1-2 hours.
2. Strain and rinse lentils and place in a pot (3.1L). Add 1.2L cold water.
3. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and continue to simmer (covered) for another 15 minutes.
5. The lentils should be soft and cooked by now. If not, continue to simmer for a little longer.
6. Let cool slightly and using a blender (I use an immersion blender), purée until homogeneous. Return soup back to the cooking pot.
7. Add salt and all spices and simmer for about 10 minutes. If soup seems too thick, add some water. If soup seems too thin, then simmer on low heat to thicken it up. But keep in mind the orange juice will be added at the next step and this will further thin out the soup.
8. Stir in the orange juice and coriander and remove from heat.