Masoor – Spinach Gravy with Coconut (Masoori – Palak Ambat)

masoor palak ambat

Masoor was not very commonly used in Konkani dishes before. But it has become a regular at  my home these days. The most popular masoor dish at home is this masoor bhaji which I my family loves. This is another very simple gravy with Konkani flavors. If you are not too fond of coconut, just leave it out and follow the remaining steps – just make a powder of fried coriander seeds and add. The gravy still tastes very good.

Spinach/Palak was also not frequently available at our hometown. These days we have sante (farmer’s markets) once a week and we can find spinach there.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole masoor
2 tbl spn coconut
1 cup spinach leaves
1 tea spn coriander seeds
3-4 red chillies
1/4 tea spn tamarind
A pinch turmeric
2 tea spns chopped garlic or 1/2 cup chopped onion
Oil
Salt

Method:
masoor palak ambat1masoor palak ambat2

Wash masoor, spinach. Take them in a cooker insert (or directly in cooker) add turmeric and water. Cook in pressure cooker till done – about 3 whistles.
Heat oil and add coriander seeds. When they are fried, grind them with coconut, tamarind and red chillies.
masoor palak ambat3masoor palak ambat4masoor palak ambat5
Add the ground masala to cooked masoor-spinach mixture and bring it to boil. Add salt, cook for couple of minutes. Switch off heat.
In another pan, heat a little oil, add garlic or onion – whichever you are using – and fry till they are brownish. Pour this over masoor mixture. Serve hot with rice.

Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 30 mins

14 Comments

  1. Masoor and spinach, Very tasty combo..and thanks for sharing such a easy recipe..

  2. Ketaki

    That looks very tasty.. esp the garlic tadka! Going to try this soon..

    • You can add approximately about double the volume of masoor

  3. sarayu

    shilpa, does masoor dal taste similar to toor dal?

    one more clarification, what cream do u use for cooking?. please let me know how to choose cooking cream in walmart. (i live in san antonio).
    thanks in advance.

    • Sarayu, no it is quite different than toor dal.
      I normally use any organic whipping cream.

  4. This masoor ambat looks so simple, healthy and tasty. I can smell the flavour of the tadka from the pics.

  5. sarayu

    thank u so much shilpa… planning to buy masoor dal this weekend on seeing the pic… so ethnic…

  6. judith

    what is the difference between masoor dal and whole masoor?

    • Masoor dal is skinned and split masoor – it is reddish in color. Whole masoor is the one used in above recipe

  7. Definitely I’m going to try this, as we are bored with our regular spinach dal fry..
    Seasoning with slightly crushed garlic, is newer tip to me..thanks for sharing..my latest recipe

  8. Parul

    This sounds amazing!

    When u say tamarind. Do you mean tamarind pulp or juice. Could you please clarify how do I use tamarind.

    Thanks & Regards

    Parul

    • You can use ready made paste available or soak the tamarind in a little warm water and squeeze the juices. Use the juices

  9. vaishali

    Very nice recipe will definitely try it. I make it with sprouted masur and add just blanched palak as it does need too much cooking.

Leave a Reply

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

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