Dal Palak is a healthy dal made with toor dal and palak. In English, toor dal is called as split pigeon peas and palak is spinach. You can call this spinach and lentil recipe too. This toor dal with palak recipe is very easy and simple to make. I have been making this since many years. I thought I should share this simple, easy and healthy recipe with you all. You can make this spinach and lentil curry for a weekday lunch or even pack and carry it in the lunch box to office.
Some people add moong dal to this palak dal recipe along with toor dal. I made this recipe only with toor dal and spinach leaves. The dhaba style palak dal tastes similar to this recipe. The recipe that I have mentioned today is a simple home style dal made with palak.
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Dal palak is a nutritious recipe made using legumes like lentils (spilt pigeon peas) and spinach.
This dish is normally served with steamed rice and vegetarian dish like this no onion and no garlic aloo, gajar and matar ki subzi. Papad and pickle can also be served with this dish.
I added chopped spinach leaves to dal while pressure cooking it. Some people sauté spinach leaves separately and then add it to dal. But adding spinach leaves along with lentils while pressure cooking saves time. Time is very important factor during the morning rush hour. I always try to make my cooking task easier during the morning rush hour as I have to pack lunch and send my kid to school and then rush to office.
Sometimes, I also add chopped onion and tomato to dal and palak while pressure cooking. In today’s recipe, I added chopped onion too as this enhances the flavor of dal recipe. Different types of recipes with dal can be prepared. Try out this drumstick dal recipe and seek health benefits of drumstick from the recipe.
The main step after pressure cooking dal and spinach is seasoning. Spices like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies and asafoetida are fried in oil or ghee for few seconds. Then ginger and garlic are fried till raw smell of garlic goes away. After this the pressured cooked dal is poured in the kadai or pan in which the seasoning is prepared. Followed by this, spice powders like turmeric powder and red chili powder is added and mixed. This is simmered for some time. This is normally garnished with chopped coriander leaves and is served hot with steamed rice.
Dal Palak | Spinach Dal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toor dal (split pigeon pea lentils)
- 2 cups palak or spinach chopped
- 1/2 medium sized onion finely chopped
For seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds / jeera seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 dry red chillies torn or 1 green chili (slit)
- A pinch asafoetida or 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 4 pods garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon oil/ghee
- Few corriander leaves chopped for garnish
- To taste Salt
Instructions
- Wash the toor dal or lentils and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Take the pressure cooker pan and heat it. Add chopped onion, chopped palak and toor dal along with 2 cups water and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles or till dal is cooked. Switch off the gas and wait till pressure from cooker is released on its own.
- Heat a kadai and add oil or ghee. After it gets heated add mustard seeds.
- After mustard seeds flutter, add cumin seeds, asafeotida, dry red chilies and curry leaves and fry for few 2 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and chopped ginger and sauté till raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add turmeric powder and red chili powder and mix well.
- Add boiled dal, onion and palak from the pressure cooker and mix.
- Add salt to taste and mix well.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- You may use green chili instead of dry red chili.
- Addition of onion is optional.
- If you don't have curry leaves, you can still make this dal and it will still turn delicious.
very nice recipe.
thanks