Mango-Lentil Soup

My mother's family used to have a mango-grove (and a coconut grove) in Anathi, a small village 80 miles outside Bangalore. Due to the abundance of mangos there, my mom tended to add a bit of mango flavoring to otherwise pure-lemon-juice dishes. The thing about south Indian cooking is that we believe that food should be a bit salty, a bit sour, a bit sweet, and even a bit bitter at times to stimulate all the areas of your taste-landscape. This lentil soup is a twist on the usual Thove or plain lentils that are served in every feast.

1 raw mango diced
2 jalapenos (4 of any milder pepper like banana peppers)
1/4 bunch of finely chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
pinch of asofotedia
1/4 teaspoon of mutard
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
2 tomatoes diced
1 cup of lentils
1/2 of a lime
3 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt


Directions:
Cook lentils along with mango and tomato (in a pressure cooker, if available). Keep this aside.
Now prepare the seasoning as follows: pour the tablespoon of oil into the pan along with the mustard, asofotedia, and heat the pan until the mustard seeds splatter (use caution). Then add the jalapenos and let them lightly fry for a minute. Now the seasoning is done. Pour the cooked lentils, mangoes, tomatos and salt into the pot. Let it boil for 2 minutes. At the end add the cilantro and squeeze lime juice and stir thoroughly. This can be eaten with rice or used to dip indian bread.