Dal Palak

A veg post after a long time. Its a very basic recipe with no frills.

I should say dal (lentils) is kind of new on our menu. Both of us didn’t prefer dal, may be because we had too much of it during our hostel days.

It all changed because of my dear friend Preeta, who was also my neighbor till a few months back (she relocated to India recently). We used to have tea time chatting sessions regularly and one of our major topics of discussion was food. Since she is from North of India & me from south, we used to discuss the different food habits, preparations etc;  Once during our usual chatting session, she said she made dal makhni that day & I told her I’ve never had that. She was so surprised (or shall i say shocked?) to hear that. She immediately packed some dal makhni for me. My whole perception about dal was changed with a spoonful of Preeta’s dal makhni :) and I was hoping that it will be the same for hubby also…though he was a bit hesitant in the beginning to try it, I somehow succeeded in convincing him and he also fell in love with it.

That gave me the inspiration to try out different dal recipes, I started with her dal makhni itself (recipe coming soon). I was so happy that we both like dal now, because I can now experiment with one more ingredient which can be prepared in many ways & moreover its healthy too.

So after ice breaking session  with Preeta’s dal makhni, I made an effort to know it more and have started noticing dal recipes and that’s how I got this one. This was shown on a TV cookery show. I liked it because of its simplicity.

Preeta dear, thanks once again for your wonderful dal makhni and for helping us to change our attitude towards dal :) and I miss our chatting sessions a lot :( . Wishing you the best…

Please check out the dal palak made by Josphine, based on the above recipe. Thank you so much Josphine :)

Here is the recipe:

1. Moong Dal – 1 cup
2. Spinach leaves/Palak – 1 cup, chopped
3. Onion – 2, chopped
   Garlic – 4,5 pieces crushed
   Green chili -4,5
4. Tomato – 2,chopped
5. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
6. Jeera – 1/2 tsp
7. Garam masala – 1/2 – 1 tsp
8. Coconut milk – 3/4 cup, medium thick (optional)

Roast moong dal in a saucepan without oil for 5-7 minutes. When the colour is slightly changed add 2 cups of water and cook till its done. Let it cool for sometime. Mash the dal using a blender/food processor (you can also mash it using the back of a wooden spoon, since I like the dal to be mashed well I used food processor). Heat oil in a pan & splutter jeera. Add crushed garlic & saute for a few minutes. Add chopped onion and green chili . Saute till the onion becomes soft. Add turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes & salt. When tomato becomes soft add mashed dal and 3/4 – 1 cup of water. Mix well & add palak. Cook till the palak leaves are done. At this stage you can add either 3/4 cup of coconut milk or water. Sprinkle the garam masala and cook for 5 more minutes. Adjust the gravy as per your requirements.

Notes: Though the original recipe uses coconut milk, I didnt add it. Anyways for a creamier and richer version you can add coconut milk.

Source: Lakshmi Nair