Dal palak (Lentil spinach curry)

What's needed to make dal palak?

To make dal with palak, you will need the ingredients shown below:

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

1. Dal (lentils)- I have used split mung beans also called yellow lentils or dhuli moong dal in Hindi. But dal palak can be made with almost every dal. Some other lentils that can be used to make it are lal masoor (red lentils), arhar dal (pigeon peas), chana dal(split Bengal gram), sabut masoor (brown lentils), etc. The time of cooking lentils will depend on the type of lentils you are using.
2. Spinach- Though fresh spinach gives the best result you can use frozen spinach too. Baby spinach can also be used. But, if using baby spinach, don't add it to the onion tomato sauce, instead, add it after mixing dal with the sauce, and don't cook after that. The baby spinach will get wilted immediately upon getting added to the hot dal. If you don't have spinach or you don't like it, use any other leafy greens of your choice like fenugreek leaves or mustard greens. Of course, it won't be called dal palak then because there won't be any palak (spinach) in it. You can call it dal saag (lentil with leafy greens).
3. Onion- Preferably red onion.
4. Tomato- Use a juicy red variety of tomatoes. You can also make moong dal palak without tomatoes.
5. Hot green chili pepper- Jalapeno or Thai green chili can be used too. Skip if your heat tolerance is low.
6. Ginger and garlic: I have used fresh ginger and garlic, you can also use store-bought ginger garlic paste.
7. Spices: I have used cumin seeds, dried red chilies, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and asafoetida. If you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure your asafoetida is gluten-free, or just skip it. Some other spices that can be used to flavor dal spinach are black mustard seeds, cumin powder, ground black pepper, garam masala, and kasoori methi.
8. Cooking oil- For most of my North Indian cooking, I prefer using mustard oil. You can use any cooking oil of your choice. If using mustard oil, heat it till it reaches the smoking point then turn off the stove. Allow the oil to reach room temperature and then turn on the stove again to start the cooking process. Non-vegans may use ghee too.

Serving dal palak

Always serve dal palak hot. My favorite way of enjoying it is with freshly made rotis or plain steamed basmati rice. Regular white rice or brown rice can be served too with this dish.

You can also serve it with other Indian rice dishes like jeera rice, curried rice, or lemon rice.

To make a complete Indian meal, serve this spinach dal with either rice or roti. Include an Indian vegetable dish like aloo gobhi, aloo patta gobhi, aloo baingan, aloo shimla mirch, bhindi masala, or aloo beans.

Also add a side dish like kachumber salad, onion salad, spicy Indian potato salad, or Indian chickpea salad. Non-vegans may also add raita like onion raita, potato raita, or pahadi kheere ka raita.

You can also enjoy a bowl dal palak as a comforting soup.

Can you freeze this dish?

This lentil spinach curry freezes well. To freeze, after cooking, allow it to cool down completely then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat frozen palak dal, thaw it first and then reheat using the method shared in the section above.

For a fresh taste of frozen spinach lentils, I would suggest tempering the reheated dal again with some cumin seeds and garlic sauteed in hot oil.

Make ahead

Dal palak can be made ahead of time. You can cook the lentils and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can also clean, dry, and chop the spinach. Then wrap it in kitchen paper towels, put in an airtight container, or zip lock bag, and store in the fridge for 5 days. To store chopped spinach for a longer period, freeze it in freezer-safe containers for up to a year.

Recipe tips and tricks

• To reduce the cooking time, soak the lentils in water for a few hours.
• Though traditionally water is used to cook lentils in India. If you want you can use vegetable stock too.
• If using mustard oil, heat it till the smoking point then switch off the stove. Allow it to cool down to a more manageable temperature before adding spices.
• Ground spices can get burned very easily so keep the next ingredient ready before adding them to the pot and saute for a few seconds only. You can also mix them with around a tablespoon of water before adding to the pot.
• If you want to add red chili powder only for color, use Kashmiri red chili powder. However, if want to add both heat and color to your dish add deggi mirch.
• If you are on a gluten-free diet, either skip asafoetida or make sure it's gluten-free. Though naturally, asafoetida is gluten-free, a lot of brands add flour to it while processing making it unfit for people on a gluten-free diet.
• Don't use the thick, chewy stems of spinach, discard them.
• Don't overcook the spinach. They should just get wilted.
• Different people prefer different textures of dal. In my family, we don't like overcooked and completely dissolved lentils. We prefer dal with some texture. If you prefer a smoother texture, cook lentils for a longer period. Also, it's better to use a manual or electric pressure cooker (instant pot) if you want a smooth texture of lentils
• To add extra heat or flavor to dal palak, drizzle some chili oil or oil of any Indian pickle on top. You can also add some garam masala to it when the dish is ready.
• If you want to make South Indian-style dal palak, instead of adding cumin seeds, temper the oil with black mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Frequently asked questions

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