This preparation
is made in my household every week. Almost every Indian household has a version
of Dal Palak. Usually, the north Indian version has different seasoning and
south Indians add sambar powder for that unique flavor. Cumin and fennel are
spices that give texture and flavor to most curries. The spinach we get in
south India is called ‘pasalai keerai/ kodi pasalai’ in Tamil. Dal is a staple
in Indian cuisine. The
Toro dal used provides necessary proteins and spinach is rich in Vitamins,
proteins and minerals, so the combo gives you not only a tasty dish but also
makes super healthy combo. It is not spicy, but has spices that give a nice
flavor and aroma.Pressure cooked with a pinch of turmeric and Hing. The dish may not look
appetizing but believe me the taste is completely awesome and even anyone who
hates greens will love this dal by itself.
I prefer minimally
cooked spinach and well-cooked dal.This is a very healthy dish with all
the vitamins, fiber and folic acid coming from dal and antioxidants and other
nutrients from spinach. This curry goes well with rice or roti. Dal with Palak
is a good combination. This is a recipe which I have seen from my childhood.
My mother used to make it very often. And I also follow her path and try
to make it at least once in a week but always be careful when you clean the
leafy vegetables. To clean the palak, take a big mouthed bowl and fill it
with water. Discard the damaged leaves and the stem. Place the
spinach leaves in water and stir it with your hands. Some of the dirt
will be removed. Keep the leaves in water for some time. The dirt
will settle at the bottom of the vessel. Now take the leaves out,
transfer it to a colander. Clean the vessel and repeat the same steps
until the palak is cleaned from dirt. Here you can make use of garlic
also. Add garlic along with spinach and other ingredients. You
can also serve with pooris and chapatti.
Prep
time: 30 mins Cook time: 20
mins Serves: 4
Ingredients
|
Quantity
|
Toor
dal
|
½ cup
|
Yellow
moong dal
|
½ cup
|
Spinach
|
2
bunch
|
Hing
|
Pinch
|
Tomato
|
1
no.
|
Turmeric
powder
|
½
tsp.
|
Red
chilli powder
|
½
tsp
|
Coriander
powder
|
½
tsp.
|
Oil
|
½
tbsp.
|
Butter
1 cube
|
To
garnish
|
Salt
|
To
|
Water
|
2
½ cups
|
Lemon
juice
|
1
tsp.
|
To
grind
Coconut
|
½
cup
|
Fennel seeds
|
½
tsp.
|
Onion
|
1
no.
|
Green
chillies
|
2
|
Water
|
2tbsp
|
To
temper
Oil
|
1
tbsp.
|
Mustard
seeds
|
1
tsp.
|
Jeera
seeds
|
1
tsp
|
Dry
red chilli
|
1
medium
|
Onion
|
1
|
Garlic
cloves
|
4
|
Method
1.Soak both the dals for an hour before cooking. It helps
cook the dal faster. Place the dals in a pressure cooker pan with half of the
turmeric powder, hing and 2 ½ cups of water. Place on flame and wait until the
pressure/steam oozes out of the nozzle then place the weight/regulator and pressure
cook for about 15 minutes on low flame.Also peel and chop onions and
garlic into two. Slit green chillies and chop tomatoes into 4 big cubes.
2.Heat
oil in a pan, throw some fennel seeds followed by curry leaves , onion and
coconut pieces. After cooled down,grind the ingredients smoothly by adding
enough water. Keep it aside.
3. Remove from flame and open the cooker only after
all the pressure has released. If you feel that its watery then place on flame
and cook open for some time until it thickens.Heat oil and ghee together in a
pan over medium flame. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies and
onion. Stir fry till golden brown. Now add garlic cloves, turmeric powder,
coriander powder and sauté until it turns light brown.
4. Add the cubed tomatoes
and keep stirring till it becomes mushy.Now add puréed palak and the remaining
chopped palak and check for salt. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add cooked
dal into it and allow it to boil. Now pour the ground paste with little
water. Always make a point to check out for consistency. Cook it for a few
minutes till it becomes thick. The dal should be of medium thick
consistency. Then keep the stove in simmer and add the ground paste
to this dal palak mix and allow it to boil. Don't boil too much otherwise
it will curdle
6.Turn off the flame and transfer prepared spinach dal to
serving bowl and garnish with a cube of butter.
7.Serve dal palak
with steamed rice or any stuffed paratha as a healthy and protein rich food for
lunch or dinner.
Notes
Adding ghee gives a
nice aroma and helps in reducing the acidity. Some people include channa
dal along with toor dal. It’s completely optional.
The taste of all
people is different.In this recipe spinach puree is used for a nice green
color. To get the desired consistency, add more water or cook longer
Linking this
to the event "Eat Vegetables Stay Healthy" sponsored
by Just Eat.
Wow...love your stepwise pics! Nice space dear! And mouthwatering dishes! :)
ReplyDeleteThank You da...I am planning to share some new dishes which I learnt from my sister.
ReplyDeleteWow nice krupa....
ReplyDeleteThank you rocky.
ReplyDeleteNice recipe healthy plus addition of coconut mix is new to me must be yumm with ghee and white rice.
ReplyDeleteYes da..
ReplyDeletemy moms recipes.tastes good.