Be it any day, a comforting bowl of dal is always the answer to feed a hungry stomach. It is not spicy nor is it too bland, it is like a gravy to eat with rotis/chapathis or just mix with plain old rice. It is full of proteins and loaded with nutrients if you add greens or vegetables like in this dal palak.
I love lapping up dal palak with chapathis or tawa parathas, such an easy yet filling dish for lunch or for dinner. Enjoy the goodness of palak and the mellowness of dal, surely a great combo in the form of dal palak.
Palak or spinach dal can be made by adding it blanched & chopped or grinding it or even just sautéing chopped palak in little oil. It wilts quickly and do not over cook it or boil it.
Add green chillies or a little red chilli powder for extra heat and a piece of jaggery rounds up the flavours. I mostly use toor/arhar dal for the dals I make, it renders a sweet taste and mixes well with other ingredients. Try other dals from FOI, dal fry, dal makhani etc.
- 200 Gm palak/spinach
- 1 Cup boiled toor dal
- 1 + ½ Tbsp oil
- ½ Tsp jeera
- 1 finely chopped onions
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- Salt to taste
- 1 puréed tomato
- ¼ Tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ Tsp turmeric
- ½ Tsp garam masala
- ½ Tsp crushed kasuri methi
- Boil/pressure cook toor dal till soft, mash and keep aside
- Wash palak in plenty of water, drain well
- Heat ½ Tbsp oil in a pan, add washed and chopped palak, let it wilt
- Once palak cools down, grind into a rough puree or chop finely, keep aside
- Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let them splutter
- Saute ginger-garlic paste and chopped onions
- Add puréed tomato and mix well
- Add turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala and mix well
- Tip in chopped/puréed palak and mashed dal and mix
- Add salt to taste
- Sprinkle kasuri methi and boil for 1 more minute
- Serve hot with rice or chapathis
This dal can also be made without ginger-garlic but is good for digestion and of course adds a lot of flavour
Mung dal palak also tastes really good and I generally make Karnataka style palak tovve
Dal Palak Stepwise:
Boil/pressure cook toor dal till soft, mash and keep aside
Wash palak in plenty of water, drain well
Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a pan, add washed and chopped palak, let it wilt
Once palak cools down, grind into a rough puree or chop finely, keep aside
Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let them splutter
Saute ginger-garlic paste and chopped onions
Add puréed tomato and mix well
Add turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala and mix well
Tip in chopped/puréed palak and mashed dal and mix
Add salt to taste
Sprinkle kasuri methi and boil for 1 more minute
Serve hot with rice or chapathis
