Cream of Arugula Soup

In the recent heat wave, and my partial neglect, the home garden arugula shot up and bolted. While its delicate white flowers were pretty, I didn't want it to go to seed too soon and spread wildly. So, I snipped the lot of it, stem and all, leaving  just enough for it to possibly recover by autumn.

Of course, salads with arugula tossed in is a staple, but this time I was craving for some hearty dal-like soup. 

I discarded the bottom few inches of chewy woody arugula stalk but used the rest of the thick stem and leaves and flowers for this soup. To add body and protein, I went with the staple moong dal.

This easy-to-cook thick and creamy arugula soup can be served chilled on a hot summer day. I prefer it warm with a hunk of Olive Ciabatta bread.

Ingredients

5 cups chopped washed arugula, stem and all

1 cup moong dal, uncooked (aka mung bean, green gram)

2 Serrano chilies, chopped (reduce if preferred)

1 medium onion diced

2 vine tomatoes cut into quarters

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and ready

1 Tablespoon Coconut oil

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon cumin powder 

2 Tablespoon coriander powder

3 cups stock or water

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Wash and drain the moong dal, keep handy 

2. Heat coconut oil in pressure cooker pan, add onions, chilies, garlic, and tomatoes and sauté till aromatic 

3. Add the washed and drained moong dal and sauté some more 

4. Add the chopped arugula, some salt, stock or water, and stir well

5. Put the lid on and pressure cook; since dal cooks quite fast, can also just cook in a saucepan instead of pressure cooker

6. When done and safe to open the pressure cooker, stir in the spice powders and simmer gently on low heat

7. Use a hand blender or potato masher to mush up the cooked dal and veggies

8. Stir in some heavy cream and turn off heat; adjust flavored to taste

9. Garnish with spring onions and chives and serve warm or cold