Some recipes are very near to one’s heart. Most of mine are the ones which are simple to make but they are hearty, nutritious and have a wholesome, goodness factor to them. This one is a go-green veggie for me which i adore and is the first to pop in my head when i have a bundle of spinach at hand. Presenting Dal Methi Palak.
Dal Palak which is basically a curry made of Spinach puree and Lentils, is a favorite among North Indians and is a very popular dish during the winter season (a.k.a Spinach season) in places like Punjab and Delhi.
My maternal house is surrounded by farm lands and hence my family has been lucky to get the freshest of the fresh produce, straight from the farms to our house all these years. To keep us eating spinach and not complain, my mom would often prepare it in different ways – Palak Paneer, Palak Parathas, Saag, Palak Poori, Palak Pakoras and Dal Palak to name a few 🙂
Among many varieties, my favorite is the simple, rustic and charasmatic Dal Palak.
My mom would often go the usual Dal+ Palak route but sometimes she also added more greens like the amaranth, mustard or fenugreek leaves to create a variation. I loves the version with fenugreek the most. It is really simple to prepare and it is so packed with nutrition and wholesomeness. Today, i am recreate my mumma’s magic and making her signature style “Dal Methi Palak”
Dal Methi Palak
Dal Methi Palak
Ingredients
- Spinach leaves-2 cups , wash nicely and cut into ribbons
- fenugreek leaves-1 cup , wash nicely and cut roughly
- mung split lentil- 1/2 cupÂ
- raw mango-2 tablespoons , grated (can also use 1/2 tsp amchur/dry mango powder)
- ginger-1 inch , grated
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- chili-1 medium , finely chopped
- salt to taste
- turmeric- 1/2 tspÂ
- garam masala- 1/2 tspÂ
- Ghee/ oil- 1 tspÂ
- cumin seeds- 1 tspÂ
- red chili powder- 1/2 tspÂ
- tomato-2 medium , grated
- onion-1 medium , finely chopped
- water- 1 cupÂ
Utensils
- Pressure cooker (I am using a pressure cooker but this can be done in a crock pot too. Crock pot will take approximately 30-45 minutes or a little more till the lentil cooks completely)
- Small pan for making the tomato-onion tempering.
Method
- Begin with adding the washed spinach leaves, fenugreek leaves and mung split lentil to a pressure cooker. Add in the water, turmeric, chili, salt and ginger. Pressure cook on high for 2 whistles. If you are using the crock pot method, let it cook for about 45 minutes or till the lentils are cooked well. Once done. Keep aside
- Let us now create the tempering for the dish. For that, heat and pan and to it, add in the ghee/oil. Add in the cumin seeds and onion. Fry on high till golden brown. Add in the grated tomato, salt, garam masala, dry mango powder and garlic. Cook till the tomatoes are cooked.
- Add the tempering to the spinach-fenugreek- lentils and mix well. Cook this on medium high till it comes to a boil. The dish is ready.
Serve with your choice of flatbread such as rotis, naans or over a bed of rice.
The recipe is fairly simple and comes together with just a few basic spices and simple ingredients but they transform into this totally awesome dish which is not only rich in nutrition, but is packed with such amazing flavors and looks so beautiful !
Looking for more Spinach inspirations? Check these out :
A post full of fabulousness!!!!
Thanks dear Elaine… love reading ur comments <3
🙂 x
Amazing – I can almost smell the aroma!
Mary
I heard that this was an absolutely delicious dish, and I am curious. Isn’t it wonderful that there are so many ways in the world to make food? Is your recipe hot? meaning you put red pepper or hot palak? This Indian dish combines fresh spinach and ricotta in a creamy palak paneer. Use paneer if you can find it! It is absolutely wonderful with basmati rice or naan.