Skip to content
Creamy dhal soup recipe

Creamy dhal soup recipe

2 ratings

Keen to cut food waste? This creamy dhal recipe uses leftover roast chicken bones to make a flavourful stock base. Simply add yellow split peas, tikka masala cooking sauce, garlic and ginger to the broth for a fragrant winter bowl. Top with a spicy onion garnish to add a chilli-infused kick and serve with naans, if you like. See method

  • Serves 4
  • 15 mins to prepare and 180 mins to cook, including time for stock
  • 566 calories / serving
  • Freezable
  • Healthy

Ingredients

For the chicken stock

  • 1 whole chicken carcass
  • 2 carrots, unpeeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 onions, unpeeled and roughly chopped

For the dhal

  • 375g Tesco yellow split peas
  • 7.5cm piece of ginger, cut into large 2cm chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 70g tikka masala cooking sauce

For the spicy topping

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 small onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 20g coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
  • 4 plain mini naan breads, to serve (optional)

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2365kj
    566kcal     28%

  • Fat

    13g 18%

  • Saturates

    2g 9%

  • Sugars

    15g 16%

  • Salt

    1.6g 27%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 87.4g Protein 30g Fibre 27.2g

Method

  1. For the stock, cover the chicken carcass with 1.5ltr of water in a large pot, then add the carrots and onions. Cover, place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 hr. Take the lid off and cook for another 30 mins to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat, strain the stock through a colander and discard the bones. You should get around 400-500ml chicken stock.
  2. Wash the yellow split peas under cold water in a colander, until the water runs clear.
  3. Measure the chicken stock in a jug and top up to make 1ltr of liquid.
  4. Place the rinsed yellow split peas in a large saucepan and cover with the chicken stock and water mixture. Place over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer for 10 mins and gently spoon off any foam on the surface.
  5. Stir in the ginger, garlic, onion and tikka masala cooking sauce. Simmer for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins or until the dhal is cooked through.
  6. For the spicy topping, heat the oil and cook the onion over a medium heat for 10 mins until softened and slightly caramelised. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and& chilli flakes and cook until the mustard seeds pop. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  7. Check the consistency of the soup - adda little water if you prefer a more liquid consistency.
  8. Serve in bowls with 1 tbsp spice mix drizzled over, a sprinkling of coriander and the naan, if you like.

Tip: This is a wonderful base soup to which you can add any vegetables, including leftover roast cauliflower, chopped up roast potatoes or fresh spinach. Once the yellow split peas are cooked, stir your leftover vegetables into the soup and allow to cook for 5 minutes.

Get ahead: Prepare the chicken stock up to 3 days before and store in the fridge. Or, place in a container in the freezer for up to 3mths. Defrost before using.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines
In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

See more Indian recipes

You may also like

Be the first to comment

Before you comment please read our community guidelines.