A quintessential recipe adapted from my mum, dal palak has always been a favorite growing up. Dal palak is made with Red Lentils aka Masoor dal and Split Pigeon Peas aka Tuver dal. In Indian cooking, in a lot of cultures veggies are cooked in lentils. Spinach and lentils has been one of the most delicious combinations in every culture in India.
This recipe of dal palak requires onions and garlic while, there are some recipes that don't. This recipe is simple, loaded with spices and enjoyed with rotis aka Indian Flat Breads or Steamed Plain Rice.
Can we make this Dal Palak Vegan?
Ofcourse, we can make spinach dal vegan . I like to use Ghee but feel free to use coconut or any other cooking oil you would like to fry the masala for Spinach dal. You can also use Vegan Butter.
Step by Step Recipe
- Wash and rinse masoor dal and tuver dal.
- Add it in a heavy bottom pot with water, turmeric and salt. Turn on the heat and set it to medium high.
- Stir it in between. Let the masoor and tuver dal boil completely.
- On the other hand start by prepping the masala.
- In a heavy bottom pan , add ghee. Once hot, add cumin seeds and asafetida (hing). Let the cumin seeds sizzle.
- Now add in minced garlic, ginger and green chillies. Saute them until the raw aroma goes away.
- Next add in the finely chopped onions. Add salt, as it accelerates the cooking time.
- Once the ghee starts to separate, add in the spices. Here, we are using Red Chilli Powder, Cumin-Coriander Powder and Garam Masala. Give everything a thorough mix. Deglaze the pan with little water if required.
- Next add in the tomatoes. Cook it until the tomatoes are soft. Last add in fresh whole Slit Green Chillies
- Check if the dals are cooked.
- If yes, use a hand blender to blend the dal into puree.
- Once done, add the masala and give it a boil.
- To this add Spinach , cook the spinach until done and finish with Kasuri Methi.
- Squeeze in 1/2 lime juice and give it a final boil.
- Serve piping hot with rice/ rotis.
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Servings: 4 People
Ingredients
To Cook the dal
- 1 Cup Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)
- 2 Tbsp Tuver Dal (Split Pigeon Peas)
- 6 Cups Water
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
- 2 Cups Spinach Tightly packed roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp Kasuri Methi
- 1/2 Lime
For Masala
- 1 Tbsp Ghee Use any Cooking Oil to make it Vegan
- 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- A pinch of Asafetida (hing)
- 5-6 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 1 Inch Minced Ginger
- 3 Green Chillies 1 finely chopped, 2 Slit from the top to use them later.
- 1 Medium Onion Finely Chopped
- 1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin- Coriander Powder (Dhana Jeeru)
- 1 Tsp Garam Masala
- 1 Medium Tomato Finely Chopped
Instructions
To Cook The Dal
- Wash and rinse masoor dal and tuver dal.
- Add it in a heavy bottom pot with water, turmeric and salt. Turn on the heat and set it to medium high. Stir it in between. Let the masoor and tuver dal boil completely.
For the Masala
- On the other hand start by prepping the masala.In a heavy bottom pan , add ghee. Once hot, add cumin seeds and asafetida (hing). Let the cumin seeds sizzle.
- Now add in minced garlic, ginger and green chillies. Saute them until the raw aroma goes away.
- Next add in the finely chopped onions. Add salt, as it accelerates the cooking time.
- Once the ghee starts to separate, add in the spices. Here, we are using Red Chilli Powder, Cumin-Coriander Powder and Garam Masala. Give everything a thorough mix. Deglaze the pan with little water if required.
- Cook it until the tomatoes are soft. Last add in fresh whole Slit Green Chillies
Final Steps
- Check if the dals are cooked. If yes, use a hand blender to blend the dal into puree. Once done, add the masala we prepared and give it a boil.
- To this add Spinach , cook the spinach until done and finish with Kasuri Methi.
- Squeeze in 1/2 Lime Juice, give it a final boil. Serve hot with rice or rotis
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