We have always loved the very aromatic Lasuni Dal Palak in restaurants in India. When we moved to US, I tried different recipes to get the same strong aroma of garlic to my dals/gravies. Somehow I could not reproduce the same. Then I read about this recipe where garlic is used in 3 ways on some blog (for the life of me, I am not able to locate that recipe, I will update this post with the link when I find it). I made few twists to it over the years and finally I came up with this recipe which we absolutely enjoy. Garlic is added to the dal in 3 stages – once while cooking dal, then with onions and then again in a seasoning which is poured on top. This is not the regular lasuni dal palak but a mix of that and the Andhra style spinach pappu. Finally I have a recipe of spinach dal which no one complains about. When I make this, I make some extra rice since everyone at my home seems to enjoy this very much.
Some variations of this dish – Nupur’s Lasuni dal palak, Sailu’s Lasooni dal palak, a simpler dal palak by me.
Pictorial:
Cook dal with spinach, garlic, turmeric.
Heat oil, add cumin, urad dal, methi seeds. Then add onions, tomato and fry.
Add dal, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt. Cook.
Slightly crush garlic and chop. Make a seasoning of mustard, curry leaves, garlic and pour over dal.
Spinach Dal with Garlic (Lasuni Dal Palak)
Ingredients
- 1 cup toor dal
- 2 cups packed spinach
- A pinch turmeric
- 2 big cloves garlic
- 1 tea spn cumin powder
- 1 tea spn chilli powder
- Salt
Seasoning 1 :
- 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
- 1/2 tea spn methi fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tea spn urad dal
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1/2 cup tomato
- 1 tea spn chopped garlic
- 1 tea spn chopped ginger
- Oil
Seasoning 2:
- 1 tea spn crushed and then chopped garlic
- 1 tea spn mustard seeds
- 5-6 curry leaves
- Ghee
Instructions
- Pressure cook toor dal, chopped spinach with garlic, turmeric, adding enough water till dal is cooked.
- Mash it well and keep aside.
- Heat a little oil and add cumin seeds, methi seeds, urad dal.
- When they are fried, add ginger, garlic, onion.
- Fry till onions are brownish.
- Add tomato and cook till it is mushy.
- Now add the cooked dal, cumin powder, chilli powder, salt.
- Add enough water to make it a thick dal.
- Bring it to bowl and take off the heat.
- Separately, heat ghee and add mustard seeds.
- When they start popping, add garlic, curry leaves.
- When garlic turns brownish, pour the seasoning over the dal and close the lid immediately.
- Serve hot with rice and a dollop of ghee.
Notes
Hi Shilpa.. Made this for dinner.. Indeed garlicky goodness! Tks for sharing !
The taste of this recipe is finger licking. It is a fresh and healthy recipe and it mostly founded in Indian Cuisine. Some best and top restaurants in Jaipur gives a joy of tasty Indian cuisine.
Hi Shilpa, I tried your recipe and OMG my son who frowns at any type of spinach dish actually licked his fingers. I used moong dal and toovar dal in equal quantites. Moong dal gives the creamy structure.
Tried this and it was “awesome “
nice reciepe
After a long time watching ur blog. I am fan of urs.. Recepies means shilpa. Osamm osam. May be i toldd n number of people about it to visit this blog. Hats off hatsss of..
Hello Shilpa
Can this dal be made with other greens Like green Amaranth leaves?
Yes