Spinach Dal is a must try if you are looking for a flavourful Indian recipe that is naturally plant protein rich, vegan and gluten-free.
Spinach Dal/Daal/Dahl
You cannot go wrong with a comforting bowl of dal and rice for dinner. Quite possibly the staple dish of India, dal is eaten by everyone. It is a versatile dish that is cheap to make and yet filling. It also is perfect for creating a complete meal as it is high in protein especially when served with a carbohydrate like chapatti or rice and a mild vegetable curry. Dal can come in so many different forms, from a traditional Gujarati Dal, to a royal creamy and smooth Sultani Dal to an innovative Garlicky Dal with Carrot Greens to Whole Masoor Dal. This Dal Palak (spinach) recipe is a nutritious Indian curry or stew made from yellow chana dal and fresh spinach. There are various ways of making dal palak and often households will use toor dal (or arhar daal/tuvar or split pigeon peas) and tomatoes. This particular recipe is made without tomatoes. What I love about this dal is that the spinach is finely chopped/crushed meaning the spinach incorporates into the dal rather than having whole spinach leaves floating around. The dal is quite thick and has a creamy texture. Why not add an extra flourish with a second tadka/tempering to enhance the flavours further.
This Lentil Spinach Dal recipe is:
Vegan, plant based Plant protein rich Low carb Gluten-free High in fibre Low calorie Highly nutritious Freezer-friendly Make ahead recipe Cheap to make Easy & quick dal recipe Comforting Flavourful Satisfying Perfect as a mid-week meal
What more could you ask for?
Spinach Chana Dal Ingredients
Let’s discuss a few of the important ingredients in this recipe. For exact measurements, please see recipe card below
Chana Dal
Chana Dal or Bengal Gram is made from split black chickpeas which have been skinned. It is always useful to keep chana dal around because it doesn’t require soaking as many other lentils do prior to cooking. Of course if you have the time, you can always soak one hour beforehand! For a quick recipe try Instant Pot Gujarati Chana Dal which uses basic ingredients but has that authentic sweet adn sour Gujarati food zing. Spinach we have used fresh baby spinach but you can use normal spinach too. Use frozen if you cannot find fresh. We used a food processor to coarsely crush the blanched spinach. Have leftover spinach? Try making Spinach Rotli with your next curry or add in this Paneer Palak Kofta Curry. Onion, Green chillies, Ginger & Garlic the golden quartet in Indian cooking. These ingredients give a delicious depth to the dal and are an important ingredient in a lot of North Indian cooking Indian spices warm masalas like red chilli powder, ground cumin and coriander and garam masala are needed for this dal. We have also used kasoori methi which always gives a restaurant-style flavour to this dal.
What to serve with Dal Palak
This dal is made with onion so it is not mild in flavour but punchy and robust. I would probably not eat this with another spicy curry as the flavours can become overwhelming. Personally, I would enjoy the incredible flavours of this dal alone or with a very mild curry that is not made with onion and garlic. Whilst the dal is cooking away, you can quickly make this Easy Potato Chips Curry or Bombay Potatoes as this curry uses only basic spices and is so quick to make. I also love my dal with round and soft Gujarati rotlis For a fresh zingy salad, try an Indian style salad such as kachumber – finely chopped salad with a lemon juice dressing.
Can I freeze Spinach Chana Dal?
Spinach Dal freezes really well. Once the dal is cooled, place in a freezer-safe container. Once defrosted, simply reheat again on the stove. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to loosen it. I like to add another vaghar or a pinch of garam masala as it revives the flavours and the dal seems as if it has been freshly made. Make some Dal Paratha if small amount leftovers.
How to make Spinach Chana Dal
Tips for the best dal
The trick to getting the tastiest and creamiest dal is to ensure the lentils are cooked until they are very tender and breaking apart. In this recipe, we have cooked the chana dal separately until it is mushy and soft which dal is then added to a vaghar or tadka of cumin seeds. Cook the chana dal in the instant pot or in a pan. Also, we have blanched fresh spinach and ground into a coarse paste before adding it to the dal. See recipe card below to see how to blanch spinach. For the best tasting dal, use fresh ingredients where possible.
Method
In a thick bottomed pan heat oil. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
Add roughly chopped onion, saute on low heat until it turns light pink. Then added crushed ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for a few seconds.
Now add all the spice masalas and kasoori methi. Mix well, add boiled chana dal.
Mix, let the dal cook for 5 minutes. Add coarsely ground spinach, mix well.
Mix well, simmer the dal for 5 minutes more. If very thick add little water. Turn off the heat, add lemon/lime juice. Garnish it with fresh chopped cilantro/coriander before serving.
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Other Dal/Lentil based recipes
Dal Methi ParathaMOONG DAL HALWADhaba Style Dal FryGujarat na Dal VadaInstant Pot Trevti DalSuperfood Broccoli and Bengal Gram Stir FryBengali Style Chana and Coconut Dal
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in May 2010.
