Food: a bowl of warm lentil soup

Any type of lentils can be used for this recipe. I used green, yellow, brown lentils. Mixing different kinds of lentils give the soup a deeper flavor. 

The lentils need to be soaked in water before cooking it. An hour is good enough for the soak. This makes the lentils softer ahead of going into a pot of boiling water.  

Then the lentils need to boil in salty water until tender. If it breaks easily to touch, then it is ready. Lentils can be boiled for much longer for a more creamy texture.

In a separate big pot, heat some olive oil. Once the oil is hot, throw in sliced onions. 

When the onions achieve a golden hue, throw in some grated ginger and garlic - about one teaspoon each.  

After the ginger and garlic are sauteed, throw in one teaspoon of curry powder, and red chili powder (chili per preference of heat).

Cook all of this in a little bit of water. 

  

Once it simmer for a few minutes, throw in some green peas. At this stage, other veggies can be added as well. 

Now its time for the tomatoes to go in. 

Once the tomatoes become tender, pour in all of the lentils that were boiling in the other pot.

Let all of the ingredients boil together at this point for the flavors to come together. Once the consistency preferred is achieved, sprinkle chopped cilantro.

Adjust salt if needed. Garnish with butter right before eating. If the consistency is not creamy enough then feel free to cook for more time. Enjoy!