soup season has officially arrived...

and luckily, i am now more domestic than ever before. coming back to korea for this second year has forced me to take this cooking thing seriously. last year was embarrassingly horrendous in the culinary department. don't get me wrong, i had a few shining moments, but overall my relationship with food was like a very bad dream. i consumed exactly 16 boxes of annie's macaroni and cheese, about one hundred bowls of the same kind of vegetable soup, and one too many grilled cheese sandwiches to ever show my face in public again. i dined out at restaurants frequently, where there was no way of knowing the quality of ingredients used.

this summer i went through the "greens" cookbook and printed off recipes before i left california. i figured the time had come to REALLY learn how to cook for myself. it felt like a matter of sanity, as well as survival. in my giant suitcase full of food from berkeley, i included some garam masala and a bag of organic green split peas with a kick ass dal recipe on the back of the package. i must share it with you as it is ridiculously simple and SO delicious! i didn't have any naan to complement the soup, but i happened to have some organic flaxseed tortillas (thank you, jen! i owe you my life!). the combo was utterly divine.

on a chilly autumn day, the spiced aromas of this dal simmering on your stovetop will fill you with the warming glow of contentment. guaranteed.

green dal (serves 4-6 people)

1 cup organic green split peas (dry)
3 cups water
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tsp. garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

rinse and sort peas, drain and place in a medium sauce pan with 3 c. water, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 c. chopped onion.
bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the peas are tender (about 1 hour).
while the peas are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and saute the remaining onion with garlic and garam masala over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, soft and just beginning to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
add the onion mixture to the cooked peas, stirring to combine. simmer 10-15 minutes to blend flavors. season with salt and pepper.

-recipe found on the back of the "whole foods 365 organic" brand green split peas package