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    Home » Soup » Asparagus Lentil Soup

    Asparagus Lentil Soup Recipe | Instant Pot

    Published: May 10, 2015 · Modified: Mar 31, 2021 by Pavani · 33 Comments

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    Asparagus lentil soup or dal is a thick, spicy and delicious dish that is great to serve with bread/ roti or even with rice. Perfect recipe to use Spring fresh asparagus.

    Grey bowl with Asparagus Lentil Soup

    Asparagus is a spring vegetable and I always look forward to buying it in season. It has a delicate flavor and is composed of 93% water. It is very low in calories and in sodium. Asparagus is also a good source of vitamins and minerals, dietary fiber, protein etc etc.

    I see asparagus all year round in the grocery stores but they tend to be woody when not in season and also very expensive. The in-season asparagus are very tender and reasonably priced. They almost taste like tender green beans and I love it them roasted or grilled.

    Plastic Container with fresh asparagus

    Ingredients:

    Being a south Indian, any new veggie is either tried in a rice dish or in a lentil dish. So I tried making a dal with asparagus. Also it cooks up in no time and blends really well in any dish.

    I used Pigeon pea lentils aka Toor dal to make this asparagus lentil soup. Red lentils aka masoor dal will also work well in this recipe. Masoor dal cooks much faster and the dish will take less than 30 minutes to make.

    Grey bowl with asparagus lentil soup

    Instructions:

    Making this recipe in an instant pot or pressure cooker makes it a quick and easy, under 30 minute dish. I have included instructions on how to make the dish in both instant pot or on stove top.

    Step by step photos showing the making of asparagus dal

    Asparagus Lentil Soup | Asparagus Dal

    Asparagus lentil soup or asparagus dal is a thick, spicy and delicious dish that is great to serve with a side of roti or even rice. Great to use fresh spring veggies.
    Author: Pavani
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    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 40 mins
    Course: soups stews
    Cuisine: south indian
    Servings: 4 Servings

    Ingredients

    • 2 tsp Oil
    • ½ tsp Mustard seeds
    • ½ tsp Cumin seeds
    • 1 Dry red chili
    • ¼ tsp Hing/ Asafetida
    • 6~8 Curry leaves
    • 1 Small Onion, chopped
    • 2 Green chilies, slit
    • ¼ tsp Turmeric
    • 1 bunch of Asparagus, chopped into 1" pieces
    • 2 Medium Tomato, chopped
    • ½ tsp Red Chili powder (adjust as per taste)
    • ½ cup Red Lentils (Masoor dal) or Pigeon lentils (Toor dal)
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1 tbsp Lemon juice

    Instructions

    Instant Pot Recipe:

    • Start IP on 'Saute' Mode - heat oil, add mustard seeds & cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, add dry red chili, hing and curry leaves.
    • Next add the asparagus and turmeric. Cover and cook till asparagus is tender, about 3~5 minutes - depending on the thickness of the asparagus used.
    • Add the tomatoes, red chili powder. Cover and cook for another 3~4 minutes or until tomatoes are mushy.
    • Add lentils, 1½ cups of water and salt. Mix well.
    • Switch IP from saute mode to manual/ pressure cook mode. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes for red lentils and 8 minutes for pigeon lentils.
    • Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and stir in lemon juice. If dal looks too thick, add water and cook till heated through. Serve over rice or with bread/ roti.

    Notes

    Stove Top Method:
    • Heat 2tsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds & cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, add dry red chili, hing and curry leaves.
    • Next add the asparagus and turmeric. Cover and cook till asparagus is tender, about 3~5 minutes.
    • Add the tomatoes and red chili powder. Cover and cook for another 3~4 minutes or until tomatoes are mushy.
    • Add red chili powder and salt.
    • Now stir in the lentils, 2~2½cups of water and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil; lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15~20 minutes for red lentils (masoor dal) and 25~35 minutes for pigeon lentils (toor dal).
    • Add lemon juice and serve!!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!

    Top Tips:

    Here are my top tips on choosing and storing fresh asparagus.

    • When choosing asparagus, make sure that the stalks look bright green and firm. Make sure they are not limp and do not have wrinkles.
    • Asparagus tips must be tightly closed and compact.
    • Make sure that the base of the stem is not dried out or flaky.
    • Size does not matter - even thick stalks can be tender and juicy.
    • To store in the fridge, treat fresh asparagus like flowers. Cut about 1" off from the base and stand them in a container with little water. Cover the top with a ziplock bag and place the whole thing in the fridge. This way, asparagus stays fresh for more than a week.
    • For more information on how to select and store, check out the article at Spruce eats.
    Asparagus lentil soup

    Taste Test:

    Both my picky eaters loved this dal. My especially picky son, who wouldn't touch asparagus with a barge pole, came back for seconds. That is a win-win for me. This dal is now on our regular meal rotation especially in Spring.

    Few more Asparagus Recipes:

    • Sesame Tofu Asparagus Stir Fry
    • Vegan Lemon Cream Sauce
    • Spring Vegetable Kedgeree

    Linking to this month’s BM# 110 and don’t forget to check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked up today.

    BM Logo

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sandhiya

      May 11, 2015 at 7:06 am

      Never tasted asparagus so far. I'm gonna try this when found this veggie in my area. Nice clicks esp first one, it's very appealing.

      Reply
    2. Nivedhanams Sowmya

      May 11, 2015 at 9:33 am

      Interesting use of asparagus.. Looks so comforting

      Reply
    3. Srivalli

      May 11, 2015 at 9:51 am

      Very nice Pavani, as always the bowl of rice with dal is so comforting!

      Reply
    4. vaishali sabnani

      May 12, 2015 at 5:53 am

      That sure is an interesting dish and looks full of flavors.

      Reply
    5. Saras

      May 12, 2015 at 1:56 pm

      What a flavorful and healthy bowl of rice!! Never though of adding asparagus!! will try next time..

      Reply
    6. Global Tastes & Travels Inc.

      May 14, 2015 at 1:27 am

      I LOVE this dal - thick and hearty and using one of my favorite veggies

      Reply
    7. Global Tastes & Travels Inc.

      May 14, 2015 at 1:27 am

      I LOVE this dal - thick and hearty and using one of my favorite veggies

      Reply
    8. sneha datar

      May 15, 2015 at 4:47 am

      A filling and yummy dish perfect with steamed rice.

      Reply
    9. Harini-Jaya Rupanagudi

      May 16, 2015 at 3:56 am

      Very interesting use of asparagus. Should try it out sometime.

      Reply
    10. Priya Suresh

      May 16, 2015 at 8:57 pm

      Wow, never tried asparagus in dal, thats really a brilliant idea Pavani.

      Reply
    11. Suma Gandlur

      May 22, 2015 at 12:27 am

      Somehow I never am inspired to buy asparagus. This dal looks so comforting.

      Reply
    12. Vaishali Sabnani

      April 01, 2020 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      Asparagus itself has such a delicious and wonderful flavor , I just make the roasted version - that’s if available , love its use in dal , very interesting recipe .

      Reply
    13. Erika

      April 02, 2020 at 11:00 am

      5 stars
      This soup looks so flavorful and I love all the health benefits. I can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    14. Debi

      April 02, 2020 at 11:08 am

      5 stars
      I love lentils and I love asparagus, but I'd never had them in a soup together before. You know what, this was delicious and surprising. Thanks for all the tips on the recipe. I'll make this again.

      Reply
    15. Leslie

      April 03, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      I love asparagus but I don't think I have ever tried it in soup! This is right in my wheelhouse!

      Reply
    16. Shailender Sharma

      April 05, 2020 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely simple and delicious recipe. Never get the chance to try Asparagus but this pictures are making me fall for it.

      Reply
    17. ARCHANA

      April 07, 2020 at 1:04 am

      5 stars
      In my place, it gets eaten raw!! I love your comment about being a SOuth India everything has to go in rice or dal. So very true even I think similarly. 😀 Hopefully will try making this soup it looks comfortingly delicious.

      Reply
    18. Lata Lala

      April 07, 2020 at 4:05 am

      5 stars
      I have never used asparagus in indian style cooking. Your recipe looks super delicious Pavani.
      Bookmarking this to try this sometimes in near future.

      Reply
    19. Sandhya Nadkarni

      April 07, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      Love the fusion recipe Pavani and your comment about being South Indian so have to think of dal and rice 🙂 I cook according to my taste buds too.

      Reply
    20. Mayuri Patel

      April 09, 2020 at 10:41 am

      5 stars
      That is definitely a good way to se asparagus..in soup with some lentils. I love asparagus but once after I sort of burnt them trying to saute them, I've stopped cooking with them. More because had no idea how else to use them. Here we don't get them so often and when we do they are expensive.

      Reply
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