• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact Us

Tiffin And Tea logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact Us
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Contact Us
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    6th October 2020 Dinner

    Home » Recipes

    Palak Dal

    Sharing is caring!

    33 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Palak Dal or Lentils with Spinach is a popular Indian recipe made with either Split Pigeon Pea Lentils  (Toor) or Red Split Lentils or a combination of both. 

    Palak Dal in a bowl with tadka ingredients on top and around

     

    Palak Dal

    Dal Palak, Palak Dal or Spinach Dal is a very simple dish that is flavourful, aromatic, warming, healthy and nutritious. Some people make it without Garlic and Chillies. Some add other greens and vegetables. This recipe is highly adaptable and you can adjust it to include other veg and take away ingredients according to your preference. 

    Ingredients in Palak Dal

    Dal – In this recipe I used Split Red Lentils. I also use Split Yellow Lentils to make it or a combination of both. 

    Spinach - I use fresh chopped spinach for this recipe. It can be left whole. You can also use frozen or tinned Spinach.

    Onion - 1 chopped onion is perfect. You can use red or white. If you don't want to use onions, use Asafoetida instead.

    Oil or Ghee - Use Oil if Vegan.

    Dry Red Chillies - Crack open slightly to get the most of them.

    Garlic - Again if you prefer not to use Garlic, use Asafoetida which gives the flavour of Onion/Garlic without using them. 

    Ginger - You can leave Ginger out of this recipe but I amp this up during colder seasons and it is FREEEEEZING out there atm.

    Turmeric - Adds flavour, colour and is a super food!

    Salt

    Tadka (Tempering) Ingredients

    • Ghee/Oil
    • Cumin Seeds
    • Curry Leaves
    • Dry Red Chillies
    • Garlic

    How to make Palak Dal

    Wash the Dal in a few changes of water then soak for 30 minutes. You can skip the soaking in this recipe.

    Heat oil/ghee and add Chillies.

    Add Onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies.

    Onions, Garlic, Ginger and Chillies in pot with oil

     

    Cook for 7 - 10 minutes before adding the lentil, salt, turmeric and water.

    Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

    Lentils, Salt, Turmeric and Water added to pot

    Red lentils in pot mid cooking

    Red Lentils almost completely broken down in pot

    Smooth Dal in pot

    Stir in the Spinach.

    Spinach added to Dal in pot

    Make Tadka by heating oil/ghee and adding the cumin seeds, followed by red chillies, curry leaves and garlic. Cook very quickly and pour over the Dal.

    Tadka ingredients in pan

    Browned garlic, cumin seeds in pan

    Palak Dal in a bowl with tadka ingredients on top and around

    Variations

    Dal – You can use most Dals in this recipe but I would not recommend Green Mung Dal like I use in this recipe or Dal that won't break down like Chana Dal that is used in this recipe. 

    Spinach – You can use Kale and a variety of other Greens in this recipe.

    Veg – You can also add vegetables of your choice to this recipe including any root veg or even a cup full of frozen mixed veg.

    Tempering – This make the Dal flavourful. Without it, Dal can be bland. You can remove flavours or add as you like here. Cumin Seeds, Curry Leaves and Garlic are the main flavours and add so much depth. 

    How long does it keep?

    Palak Dal lasts up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I would not recommend eating it beyond that.

    When reheating, add in a little water. I prefer to reheat on the stove. 

    You can freeze the Palak Dal for up to 2 months in an air tight container. 

    You can also freeze just the Dal (boiled Dal) for up to 2 months. Many people do this to save time for more time consuming Dal recipes.

    To reheat, simply thaw in the fridge overnight or take it out of the freezer on the morning that you intend to use it. 

    How to serve Palak Dal

    I love Palak dal with Jeera Rice, Papad (Papadums), Achaar (Pickles - I love Mango or Lime) and Kacumbur (Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad) or Raita (Yoghurt and Cucumber or Yoghurt and Red Onion).

    Other Dal Recipes:

    Dal Chawal

    Chana Dal with Chicken

    Masoor Dal Tadka

    Mung Daal

    **if you make this recipe, please rate/comment below. we love to hear from you and seeing your creations makes our day – safira

    Palak Dal in a bowl with tadka ingredients on top and around
    5 from 3 votes
    Print

    Palak Dal

    Palak Dal or Lentils with Spinach is a popular Indian recipe made with either Split Pigeon Pea Lentils(Toor) or Red Split Lentilsor a combination of both. 

    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Indian
    Keyword Bharuchi Dal Chawal, Dal, Moong Dal, Mung Dal, Palak Dal, Spinach Dal
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 165 kcal
    Author Safira

    Ingredients

    Dal

    • 2 tbsp Ghee or Oil
    • 4 Dry Red Chillies cracked open
    • 1 Onion sliced finely
    • 1 ½ inch Ginger crushed or finely grated
    • 5 Garlic Cloves crushed or chopped finely
    • 2 Green Chillies Pierced
    • 500 g Red Lentils Split
    • 1 ½ tsp Salt
    • 1 tsp Turmeric Ground
    • 1.25 l Water
    • 200 g Spinach Washed and drained

    Tempering

    • 2 tbsp Ghee or OIl
    • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
    • 10 Fresh Curry Leaves
    • 3 Dry Red Chillies Slightly cracked open
    • 1 clove Garlic Sliced finely

    Instructions

    1. Wash the Dal in a few changes of water then soak for 30 minutes. This isn't necessary so skip if in a rush.

    2. Heat oil/ghee and add Chillies.

    3. Add Onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Cook for 7 - 10 minutes before adding the lentil, salt, turmeric and water.

    4. Lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. You will need to check this occassionally as it may stick to the bottom of the pot. Add a spalsh of water if this is the case.

    5. Stir in the Spinach and allow to wilt.

    6. Make Tadka by heating oil/ghee over medium low heat and adding the cumin seeds, followed by red chillies, curry leaves and garlic. Cook very quickly until the garlic takes on a little colour and pour over the Dal.

    Recipe Notes

    Variations

    Dal – You can use most Dals in this recipe but I would not recommend Green Mung Dal like I use in this recipe or Dal that won't break down like Chana Dal that is used in this recipe. 

    Spinach – You can use Kale and a variety of other Greens in this recipe.

    Veg – You can also add vegetables of your choice to this recipe including any root veg or even a cup full of frozen mixed veg.

    Tempering – This make the Dal flavourful. Without it, Dal can be bland. You can remove flavours or add as you like here. Cumin Seeds, Curry Leaves and Garlic are the main flavours and add so much depth. 

    How long does it keep?

    Palak Dal lasts up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I would not recommend eating it beyond that.

    When reheating, add in a little water. I prefer to reheat on the stove. 

    You can freeze the Palak Dal for up to 2 months in an air tight container. 

    You can also freeze just the Dal (boiled Dal) for up to 2 months. Many people do this to save time for more time consuming Dal recipes.

    To reheat, simply thaw in the fridge overnight or take it out of the freezer on the morning that you intend to use it. 

    How to serve Palak Dal

    I love Palak dal with Jeera Rice, Papad (Papadums), Achaar (Pickles - I love Mango or Lime) and Kacumbur (Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad) or Raita (Yoghurt and Cucumber or Yoghurt and Red Onion).

    Nutrition Facts
    Palak Dal
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 165 Calories from Fat 126
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 14g22%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 990mg43%
    Potassium 368mg11%
    Carbohydrates 8g3%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 4689IU94%
    Vitamin C 20mg24%
    Calcium 68mg7%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
    • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on stumbleupon (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on yummy (Opens in new window)

    Related

    More Recipes

    • Homemade Chai Masala Powder
    • Rigatoni Al Forno with Béchamel Sauce
    • Korean Egg Drop Sandwich with Beef Bulgogi
    • Lemon Syrup Loaf Cake

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Cake with rose petals scattered around

    hey...I’m safira! I share accessible Global Recipes as well as Baking recipes for home cooks. One of my passions is to teach home cooks to become more confident in the kitchen and this comes with time and experience.

    More about me →

    Recipes

    DON'T MISS ANY RECIPES

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Featured Recipes

    • The BEST Homemade Dark Chocolate Brownies
    • No bake Milk Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo Crust 
    • Easy Freezer Friendly Mini Pizzas
    • Caramelised Brown Sugar Carrots

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Blog

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Tiffin and Tea

    33 shares