Jeere Meere Saar: Konkan's Dal Soup Is Like A Warming Rasam
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In many Indian cuisines, lentils are often the underacknowledged backbone of the meal. From a simple dal to curries, vadas or breads, lentils find their way into everything. This is especially common in Maharashtrian cuisine where lentils are widely used. In Marathi, the word ‘Aamti’ is used in general for all cooked lentil dishes even though the flavours differ wildly between communities. Saar and Rassa usually refer to the thinner soupy stocks derived from lentils or meats and this Konkani dish Jire Mire Saar (or alternatively Jeere Meere Saar) falls in that category. 

It’s also similar to another very popular Konkani dish called Dalithoy which is a lentil soup which is a staple of the region. The difference is the addition of a tadka which takes the otherwise simple dal soup into a more warming dish.

This Lentil Soup flavoured with cumin and pepper is almost at home in the rasam family for its light and soothing qualities. The warming spices make it a favourite while sick or just to warm up on chilly evenings. Freshly ground spices are always recommended for a more intense flavour and although the recipe calls for a very small quantity of toor dal, that quantity can be increased to thicken it from its soupy nature. 

Ingredients

  • ½ cup toor dal
  • 1½  tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp tamarind extract
  • 1½ tsp jaggery
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2-3 dried chillies 
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp hing
  • Salt to taste

Method

  • In a saucepan or pressure cooker, cook the toor dal until soft. 
  • Meanwhile in a dry pan, roast 1 tsp of the cumin seeds along with the black pepper until fragrant and then grind it into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. 
  • Once the dal is cooked, add it to a pot with some salt, the ground jeera and pepper, tamarind and jaggery. 
  • In a tadka pan heat up the ghee and add the remaining cumin seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves, hing and turmeric. 
  • When it starts to crackle add the tadka to the dal and bring the whole mixture to a rolling boil. 
  • Simmer for 5 minutes and serve hot as a soup or with rice.