Sneha's Recipe: Lima Beans

The vegetables melts into a thick base without any cream. The red lentils give it enough substance to actually keep you full. The yogurt and apple cider vinegar at the end is elevates this soup and makes it interesting. That little bit of tang wakes everything up and keeps the soup from feeling flat.

The red lentils and blended vegetables, which makes this soup surprisingly filling without feeling heavy. Serve this with Soft Bread Rolls for Soup, to round out the meal and soak up every last bit of the soup.
Read My Notes before making this soup.

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion - roughly chopped
2 Large Red Carrots - roughly chopped
1 Medium Zucchini - roughly chopped
1 Cup Cubed Pumpkin - roughly chopped
1 Cup Fresh Lima Beans - boiled and blended
3 Cloves Garlic - minced
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
¼ Teaspoon Chilly Powder
6 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Cup Red Lentils - rinsed
1½ teaspoons Salt - divided
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste
1½ tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Hung Curd / Greek Yogurt
Method

Boil the lima beans till cooked, cool them. Blend it along with the water, then strain it. Keep this aside
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and all the veggies sauté for a minute Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the garlic and chilly powder. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Pour in the stock and the blended lima beans,red lentils and bring this to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the lentils are fully cooked and soft, about 15 to 20 minutes stirring in between.
Turn off the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Scoop out 1 to 2 cups of the hot soup and set aside.

Add the Greek yogurt to a bowl. Slowly whisk in the reserved hot soup to temper the yogurt.
Stir the yogurt mixture back into the pot. Add the remaining salt and apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm.

My Notes
Reheat gently after adding the yogurt to avoid splitting
This soup freezes well before the yogurt is added.
You can skip adding beans to this soup.
Cook the beans, then blend it and strain it. If you add it to cook along with the veggies, the bean skins do not blend into a smooth puree and instead leave a grainy or textured consistency in a soup, give it a rough texture and giving it a slightly gritty consistency. Skins give a awful mouthfeel / papery feeling on the tongue, when enjoying a creamy smooth soup.