2teaspoonsGinger paste or freshly grated or crushed
2teaspoonsGarlic paste or freshly grated
2Green chiliesfinely chopped
½cupRed onionchopped
¼teaspoonTurmeric powder
½teaspoonRed chili powder
1 ½cupsSpinach (palak)chopped (about 50 leaves)
1cupWaterto make dal consistency
2teaspoonsLemon juice
Salt to taste
Instructions
Take moong dal in a colander and rinse it under running cold water until water runs clear. Alternately, you can rinse the dal in a bowl 2-3 times until the water is not cloudy anymore.
Take washed dal and water in a pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 2 whistles. Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid.
While dal is pressure cooking, heat the oil in a kadai or pan on medium heat on another stove. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
Then add ginger, garlic and green chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
Add onion and sprinkle a little salt to speed up the cooking process. Cook until onions are soft and light pink or translucent.
Add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Mix well and cook for 30-40 seconds.
Add chopped spinach leaves. Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
Add cooked dal, remaining salt and some more water to make a dal consistency. Mix well and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. Do stir in between to make sure that the dal is not sticking to the pan.
Lastly, squeeze a fresh lemon or lime juice and mix.
Serve right away or keep it covered if serving after some time so dal palak stays warm.
Notes
If you like to add tomatoes to your spinach dal then add tomatoes after cooking the onion. Let the tomatoes soften and almost mushy. Then add spice powders and continue the following steps.
Adjust the spice level by increasing or decreasing the green chili and red chili powder amount.
Do not overcook the spinach otherwise it loses its color and nutritional value.