AI-generated image
Dal palak curry
Bengal gram lentils cooked with spinach
A quick pressure-cooker curry of chana dal and plenty of spinach with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chilli. It's earthy, lightly spiced and full of goodness. Serve hot with chapaties or boiled rice. For a change, use green gram lentils with skin (soaked for 8 hours, then washed to remove the skins), or replace the lentils with four potatoes cut into 1 cm cubes and ½ tbsp lemon juice.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the seasoning
For the tempering
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 3 ⅓ oz bengal gram lentils (chana dal) in water for 2 hours, then drain.
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker, add ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) and let them crackle.
1 minStep 3: Add 2 onions and cook until golden brown.
7 minStep 4: Add the lentils, 1 ⅛ lb spinach, 2 tomatoes, 2 tsp green chilli paste, ½ tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste and ¼ cup water.
Step 5: Add 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder, ½ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt and stir well.
Step 6: Close the cooker and cook for 2 whistles, then turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes more. Let the pressure drop by itself. Serve hot with chapaties or boiled rice.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dal palak curry take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of bengal gram lentils (chana dal)?
- Yellow split peas, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Potato chakri
Potato chakri are crisp, light spirals made with rice flour and boiled potato, flavoured with ginger, chilli, lemon, sesame and coriander. The potato makes them extra tender-crisp. They keep for about 3 weeks in an air-tight container, so make them ahead for Diwali or guests.
Masala khakhra
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Bean sprouts
Sprouting whole green grams makes them crunchier, quicker to cook and more nutritious. All you need is muslin, water and a warm spot, and they're ready in 3–4 days. Use them in salads, bhel, usal and stir-fries. Any other whole pulse sprouts the same way.