Red Amaranth and Lentils Soup – Iron Rich Foods

Amaranth leaves (Chaulai ka Saag) and lentils soup recipe is a super healthy and super tasty soups. It is ultra rich in Iron, proteins, and antioxidants. And as always it is super easy to make a quick turn around to fit your busy lifestyle.

As a vegetarian, I always struggled to stay up with my iron levels. Learning about iron rich foods and trying out iron rich recipes was always important and it became even more critical when I was expecting.

In my first pregnancy, I tried to take Iron supplements after my Doctor’s suggestion but it only led to digestive issues and hence I stopped and looked for alternatives with iron rich foods.

This is when I started to experiment with various combinations of ingredients that would be delicious yet nutritious.

Health Benefits of Lentils – Iron-rich foods

An excellent source of plant protein, lentils also form part of healing foods. It is a great food option for people suffering from diabetes and hypertension.

Regular consumption of lentils helps to manage blood sugar levels and cholesterol. In addition, lentils are a rich source of fibre, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Lentils also make in the list of Iron-rich foods. They also contain ample folate and magnesium, making them a great food option during pregnancy and for children.

Print Recipe

Purple Amaranth and Lentils Soup – Iron Rich Foods

A delicious and highly nutritious lentils soup made with purple Amaranth leaves. This recipe is ideal for pregnancy nutrition, growing kids, menopause, and for those looking to boost their iron, calcium, and protein levels.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Resting Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Hindu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: amaranth leaves

Servings: 4 people

Author: Nidhi Bansal

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker – Can also be replaced with rice cooker

Ingredients

• 1 cup Raw and Uncooked split Lentils
• 200 g Fresh Amaranth Leaves Replace with other varieties of Amaranth
• 2½ cups Water
• 1 Medium Onion optional
• 1 Medium Tomato
• 2 Cloves Garlic optional
• 1 inch Fresh ginger root
• 1½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1½ tsp Coriander Seeds Powder
• 2 tbsp Ghee Or Pure Cooking Oil of your choice
• 1 pinch Asafetida or Hing
• 1½ tsp Rock Salt to taste
• 1½ tsp Black Pepper To sprinkle on the top

Instructions

• Wash the lentils properly and soak in the water
• Clean and sort out the Amaranth Leaves. Wash them well and chop them fine. Keep aside.
  
• Finely chop onion and tomato.
• Peel the ginger and garlic. Pound them together using a mortar and pestle.
• Heat the base of the pressure cooker.
• Once the cooker is a little hot, then add ghee, Asafoetida, and cumin seeds.
• Add garlic, onion, and ginger when the seeds start to crackle. Stir till the mix till it turns golden.
• Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and pepper.
• Keep the heat low. Add chopped tomato, mix well till it turns mushy.
• Add chopped amaranth leaves, water, and lentils.
• Close the pressure cooker and let the mix get cooked wither with one whistle, or within 15 mins when the heat is kept at low.
• Sprinkle black pepper on the top. Your soup is ready to be served.
• Enjoy with hot rice, bread, or just like that!!
  

Notes

Note: This recipe tastes great with split or whole mung beans too. Follow the instruction below.

1. For split mung beans, process is same as split lentils.
2. For whole mung beans, here’s the process:
   1. Soak the Mung beans in water for 3-4 hours and then cook or pressure cook till soft.
   2. If you do not have time to soak, then just put them in a pressure cooker or rice cooker and boil till soft.
   3. Normally, it should take 30-40 mins for boiling till soft without soaking and pressure cooking.

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