Spinach Daal Or Daal Palak

Dal Palak or Spinach Dal is a very simple yet delicious Indian dish made with lentils, spinach, and seasoned with few spices. Learn how to make this flavorful dal palak curry, North Indian style with this easy, step-by-step recipe with pictures.

This Spinach Moong Daal is my father’s recipe. I learned this from my mom and dad. When I was little very first time my dad told my mom to make this and told how to make. I made face that I don’t line it 😂😂. So my dad told me try out once and after that I won’t tell you to eat this. Trust me when I had this very first time I always need this with my mom’s taste.

There is never a dearth of curries in Indian homes. Be it in the form of dal | dahl, or a coconut-based, tomato-based, or a yogurt-based curry, you name it, and you will easily find something to match your needs!

This spinach dal is just one of those. The type of dish that keeps your tummy and soul satisfied. I have just two words to describe this simple spinach dahl recipe – easy & delicious! This lentil curry dal goes down well with toddlers too. I keep it minimally spiced as my kids often enjoy a bowl of rice and dal.

This Spinach Dal you can make with any kind of Daal. You can take multiple lentils too. I made this only with Moong Daal, massor daal, Chana daal and Tuver Daal.

☑️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
☑️ Cook Time : 10 minutes
☑️ Cuisine : North Indian
☑️ Course : Main Course
✍️ Author: Shruti Naik

Ingredients

Lentils: you can use any lentil you want to make spinach dal but the most commonly used are toor, moong and masoor. Even chana dal can be used. You can make it by using only 1 dal or using a combination of 2 or 3 lentils. I make this dal with a 50-50 combination of toor dal and masoor dal.

Spinach: you can use baby spinach or regular spinach and can also adjust the amount according to your preference. For example, if you

Seasonings: This dal is lightly spiced with just cumin seeds, hing, ginger, garlic and chilies. You can definitely add more seasonings to taste or keep it simple like I did.

Step by Step Instructions to make Dal Palak

1- To the inner steel bowl of the Instant pot add 1/2 cup toor dal (pigeon pea lentil), 1/2 cup masoor dal (split red lentils) and 3 cups water.

2- Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Give a stir.

3- Close the lid and press the pressure cook or manual button. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.

Stove-top pressure cooker: cook on high heat for 2 whistles, then lower the flame and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the lentils are completely cooked. Let the pressure release naturally.

4- This step is optional, but if you want you can blend the dal a little at this point using a wooden spatula or immersion blender. This way you won’t have any dal particles in your final spinach dal but as I mentioned, it’s completely optional. Set this aside.

5- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee in a pot over medium heat. Once hot add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Then add 1/4 teaspoon hing and stir.

6- Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chili.

7- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic and ginger start turning brown in color.

8- Then add in 3 to 4 cups of chopped spinach.

Wholesome Dal Palak (Spinach Dal) is lightly spiced, packed with spinach and makes a very comforting meal with a side of rice. It is also vegan.

Ingredients

Spinach: you can use baby spinach or regular spinach and can also adjust the amount according to your preference. For example, if you

Seasonings: This dal is lightly spiced with just cumin seeds, hing, ginger, garlic and chilies. You can definitely add more seasonings to taste or keep it simple like I did.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of moong daal
1/3 cup of toor daal
1/4 cup of chana daal
1/4 cup of masoor daal
minced garlic
slit green chilies
chopped spinach
salt to taste
red chili powder
lemon juice
cumin coriander powder
cilantro

Step by Step Instructions to make Dal Palak

To the inner steel bowl of the Instant pot add the toor dal (pigeon pea lentil) and masoor dal (split red lentils), Moong dal, Chana dal and 3 cups water.Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Give a stir. Close the lid and press the pressure cook or manual button. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.Stove-top pressure cooker: cook on high heat for 2 whistles, then lower the flame and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the lentils are completely cooked. Let the pressure release naturally.
This step is optional, but if you want you can blend the dal a little at this point using a wooden spatula or immersion blender. This way you won’t have any dal particles in your final spinach dal but as I mentioned, it’s completely optional. Set this aside.
Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Then add 1/4 teaspoon hing and stir.
Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chili. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic and ginger start turning brown in color.
Then add in 3 to 4 cups of chopped spinach. Cook the spinach for 3 to 4 minutes stirring often. The leaves will wilt as the spinach cooks and volume of the spinach will reduce.
Add the boiled dal into the pot now. Give a good stir until everything is well combined. Now, let the dal come to a boil. I added additional 1/2 cup water at this point as the dal was too thick for my liking.
Let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then squeeze in some lemon juice. You can also sprinkle some garam masala if you like at this point. I didn’t add anything and kept it simple. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Adding Onions & Tomatoes

If you want to add onions and tomatoes to this dal, follow these steps:

Add onions along with the ginger, garlic and green chili and cook them for around 3 minutes until they become soft and translucent.
If you want to add tomatoes as well, add them after the onions are cooked. Add chopped tomatoes and cook them for 4 to 5 minutes until they become soft.