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Dal palak in maroon bowl on a table.
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Dal Palak (Spinach Dal)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 405kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

Dal

  • 1 ½ cups (300g) red lentils, split red lentils or split yellow lentils
  • 4 cups (960 mL) water
  • ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 ½ heaping teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • Spinach Tadka (recipe follows)
  • 1 handful (12g) cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
  • For serving: cooked rice to serve 4

Spinach Tadka

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (see Note 1)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4 fat or 6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced
  • 1 ½- inch (4 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks
  • 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (optional; see Note 2)
  • 2 to 5 dried red chile peppers, torn in half (see Note 3)
  • 20 fresh curry leaves (optional but highly recommended, see Note 4)
  • A couple pinches of asafoetida, (AKA hing) (optional; omit if GF; see Note 5)
  • 5 ounces (140g) baby spinach

Instructions

  • Make the dal. Rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs mostly clear.
  • Add lentils to a medium saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, and use a spoon to skim off foam as it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stir in the turmeric, and partially cover the pan.
    Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes (split lentils should be done around 20 minutes), or until lentils are soft and tender and mostly broken down.
    Note: While the lentils cook, prep the ingredients for the Spinach Tadka.
  • Now whisk vigorously until the lentils are somewhat pureed, about 1 minute. (If they aren’t easily pureed, cook for a bit longer.) Cook for a few more minutes, whisking occasionally, until the lentils are completely soft and mashed and the dal has thickened.
  • Stir in the salt and lemon juice. Taste, adding more salt or lemon as desired. Keep the dal warm over the lowest heat while you cook the Spinach Tadka.
  • Make the Spinach Tadka. Heat a medium or large frying pan over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons of the coconut oil.
  • Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Shake the pan back and forth or stir frequently. Once the mustard seeds start popping (it should happen pretty quickly), add the onion and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nicely golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Add in the garlic, ginger, and serrano if using. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the dried chiles, curry leaves and asafoetida, if using. Cook for just 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
  • If the oil has dried up, add 1 tablespoon more coconut oil. Add about half of the spinach and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Use tongs to toss the spinach and stir very frequently. Once wilted, add the second half of the spinach and stir fry until it’s all wilted.
  • Immediately take the spinach tadka off the heat, and pour over the warm dal, stirring in.
  • Taste the dal, adding another squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt as needed. Garnish the dal with cilantro. Serve with rice.

Video

Notes

General note: The prep time is listed as 5 minutes since you can prep all of the Spinach Tadka ingredients while the dal is simmering.
  1. I think the flavor combo of coconut, mustard seeds, and curry leaves is fantastic, but if you don’t want to use coconut oil, use a neutral-flavored oil or a light-tasting olive oil.
  2. If you want just a little heat, remove the white membranes from the green chile pepper first.
  3. Dried red chile peppers are often used in tadkas (the tempered spiced oil poured on top of many kinds of Indian dals). For mild heat but great flavor, you can use mild chiles like Kashmiri chiles, anaheim peppers or guajillo chiles. For spicy, use chiles like chiles de arbol or dried Thai chiles. You can find a variety at both Indian and Mexican grocery stores.
  4. Fresh curry leaves bring the most incredible flavor to the tadka. Find them at Indian grocery stores. Or, you can buy dried curry leaves online; they’re less pungent, so use more, about 30 leaves.
  5. Asafoetida (known as “hing” in Hindi) brings a quintessentially Indian flavor that is hard to describe but a little funky and umami-like. It’s optional, so feel free to skip. Most varieties have small amounts of gluten.