On a chilly day in Paris last weekend, I came across a little café serving this wonderfully green and comforting soup. Dill - with its name derived from the Old Norse word “dilla,” which means to soothe – is the perfect herb to add flavour to a dish in these early months when the weather can still be wintry and sometimes harsh.
Dill is both incredibly flavoursome with its pungent taste and aroma, and of great nutritional value.
The soup recipe below blends the punchy taste of dill with the creaminess of coconut milk and a complimentary spices tang. It can be served with Basmati rice or a good quality sourdough.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 4 cloves garlic crushed
· 1 red onion – finely diced
· 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
· 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
· 1 medium potato peeled and cubed
· 400 grams broccoli florets separated
· 1 large bunch dill leaves, chopped finely
· 1 can 400 ml coconut milk
· 6 cups water
· ½ cup of red lentils rinsed
· 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
· Heat oil in a large pan. Sauté the garlic and the diced onion till soft and translucent. Add a few tablespoons of water to stop the onion burning.
· Add the turmeric and red chilli powder. Sauté for a minute.
· Add the potato, broccoli and half of the dill leaves and mix well.
· Add the coconut milk, water, garam masala powder, salt and pepper.
· Pop on the lid and allow to cook until the potato is soft
· Turn off the heat, allow to cool a little then using a hand held blender, blend the soup till smooth.
· The add the lentils and cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes so that the lentil are cooked but still hold their shape. This gives the soup a good texture. Stir in the remaining dill leaving a few strands for decoration.
· Serve hot with a garnish of coriander leaves.