Masoor dal soup

This soup is what the dal pot becomes when you want something light: the same split red lentils as in a masoor dal tadka, cooked looser and finished with a cumin tadka. Four cups of water to one cup of dal keeps it brothy, a consistency closer to a light broth than to dal, and the lentils themselves do the thickening, with no flour or cream.

Everything happens in one pot. The ghee, cumin and garlic temper first, the onion and tomato soften in the same oil, and then the dal and water go in, so the soup carries the tadka all the way through instead of only on top. A partially covered 15-minute simmer is all the dal needs; after that, a quick mash against the side of the pot thickens the soup.

For a thicker bowl, three add-ins slot in without changing the method. Grated carrot goes in with the onion and tomato for a red lentil vegetable soup; pieces of drumstick simmer with the dal for a red lentil and drumstick soup; and half a cup of cooked quinoa stirred in at the end makes a filling red lentil quinoa soup. Each one thickens and stretches the pot without touching the seasoning.