Dal Palak (lentil spinach curry)

Palak dal served in a bowl with rice and salad

Dal Palak (lentil spinach curry)

Dal palak is a delicious, protein-rich lentil curry recipe from India. It is made by cooking lentils with spinach and flavoring them with aromatic Indian spices. This simple vegan Indian dish can be enjoyed with rice as well as roti.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 236kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

Cooking pot
Chopping board
Knife

Ingredients

1 cup split and skinned mung beans yellow moong dal
2 cups spinach roughly chopped
1 medium red onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon grated ginger
1 green chili pepper finely chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
3 dried whole red chili optional
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder adjust to taste
⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
Salt to taste
½ tablespoon any cooking oil of your choice
4.5 cups water adjust to get the desired consistency

Instructions

Rinse mung beans and put in a pot with water, salt, and turmeric. Cover the pot and cook on a medium flame for around 30 minutes or until the beans get cooked.
While the beans are getting cooked heat oil in another pot. Add dried red chilies, cumin seeds, and asafoetida. Saute for a few seconds or until the spices turn fragrant.
Add chopped onion, ginger, and, garlic. Cook until the onions start turning brown.
Add coriander powder and red chili powder. Saute for a few seconds on a low flame.
Next, add tomato and green chili. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.
Add chopped spinach and mix. Cook until the spinach gets wilted.
Add cooked mung beans and cook for around 2 minutes. Switch off the stove.
Finally, add lime juice and cilantro. Mix.
Serve hot with rice or any Indian bread like roti, paratha, or naan.

Video

Notes

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.
More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition