Step 1

Clean and Wash the greens. Use a variety of greens for a nice flavour. You can use whatever greens you have on hand. We need roughly about 4 cups. Chop them and set aside. Take a pressure cooker and add in the washed toor dal. Add the dal first so it cooks to a tender consistency. Add in the chopped greens, garlic, tomatoes, onions, curry leaves, green chillies, tamarind and two cups of water. I also add a few coriander stems. The stems of the coriander is more flavorful than the leaves. Pressure cook for about 10-12 minutes on medium flame. Ignore the number of whistles. Let the pressure settle before opening.

Step 2

After opening, strain the stock a little so its easy to mash. We will add the stock back later. I use a potato masher to mash the lentils. Traditionally a wooden “mathu” is used to mash. You can use whatever you are comfortable with. If you are hard pressed for time, you can even pulse it in the mixie once. But make sure that the mixture is very slightly grainy and not very smooth. Set aside.

Step 3

Heat oil in a pan and add in the crushed garlic along with the peel. Roast the garlic till its crisp and light brown in colour. Add in the mustard, cumin, curry leaves and red chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the spice powders namely hing, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the strained stock and the mashed green-lentil mixture. Add in the salt. Adjust the consistency of the saaru by adding little more water if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes.

Step 4

Delicious Soppu Saaru is ready.