Bele Saaru Recipe: Try This South Indian Dal Soup For Light And Comforting Meal

There’s something soothing about South Indian meals that makes us fall for the cuisine time and again. Be it a bowl of sambar- vada or rasam-rice, we just love having these comforting meals anytime of the day. Besides being loaded with a burst of flavours, these South Indian staples include good amount tanginess (due to imli) that further helps promote digestion and make our stomach feel light. Moreover, rasam being liquid-y, helps manage the water balance and keeps us hydrated. As per food experts, these dishes are made keeping the extreme heat of South Indian states in mind.

This summer, we bring one such rasam-like dish that will help you keep up with the blazing heat. It is called bele saaru. Bele stands for dal and saaru means soup. It is basically a dal-based clear soup made in Karnataka, especially in Udupi region. Much like rasam, it has a liquid-y consistency and can be consumed as is. The only difference between the two are the ingredients used. While rasam is spicier, saaru includes some soothing flavours in it. All you need to do is boil dal with tomato, ginger et al and add a tadka of mustard seeds, cumin seeds et al in it.

How To Make South Indian Bele Saaru | South Indian Dal Clear Soup:

For this particular recipe, you need soaked arhar dal, green chilli, tomato, ginger, tamarind pulp or lemon juice, salt, turmeric, oil, onion and garlic. And for tempering the saar, we add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chilli and garlic.

You need to first half boil the dal with turmeric and salt, and then add green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and onion to it. Then on medium flame add tamarind pulp or lemon juice to it. And finally, add the tadka. For this, heat oil and temper mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chilli and garlic and pour on the saar. While the authentic recipe includes coconut oil, you can also replace it with refined oil.

Click here for the complete recipe. Try it and let us know how you like it