Dal Palak | Spinach Dal | Palakura Pappu

Dal palak or spinach dal is an extremely simple and soul-satisfying dish that is made in almost every Indian household on a regular basis. Dal is any kind of lentil while Palak is Spinach, so this is simply a lentil soup made with spinach which makes it one of the most healthy dishes suitable for all ages.

Based on the region in India, this dal palak is called by many different names like palak dal, Palakura Pappu, dhal palak, spinach dal, etc.. It is also made in many different ways based on the region.

Some people use tamarind for sourness while others use tomatoes and lemon juice or aam chur. Some people pressure cook dal along with onions, tomatoes, green chili, and add tempering at the end while others just add everything before adding the dal and then add dal to pressure cook everything together.

I have given two ways here to make this dhal palak recipe, one is the traditional method of pressure cooking the plain dal and then finishing the dal on the stovetop by adding the tempering and the other method is a one-pot method in an Instant pot. You can follow any method based on your convenience and appliance availability.

Feel free to use the button at the top of the page to go to the recipe directly or the table of contents below to go to any section of the page you want. The recipe card has all the information that is needed to make the recipe perfectly. However, I try to provide as much useful information in the post for the readers who are looking for it.

Ingredients

Dal Palak or Palakura Pappu needs very simple everyday ingredients. You can find the complete list of ingredients in the recipe card further below but please find a clear picture of the ingredients here to get an idea.

How to make Dhal palak

Preparation (Same for stovetop or Instant pot method)

• Wash and peel the ginger with a spoon ( peeling with a spoon is the easiest way to peel the ginger) and chop it finely. Peel and chop the garlic into small pieces. If you or your kids dont like to taste the ginger pieces while eating then add bigger pieces and remove while eating.
• Chop the onion and tomatoes into small pieces. Split the green chilli lengthwise. Break the red chilli into pieces.
• Wash the Spinach thoroughly with water multiple times, chop it and set it aside. Soak the spinach for 15 to 20 minutes before cleaning it if it looks very dirty.
• Chop the cilantro and lemon for lemon juice to use at the end.

How to make Dhal Palak on the stovetop

• Take the ½ cup of washed dal and 1.5 cups water into a vessel and cook it in the Instant pot using the pot in pot method for Manual 10 minutes on high pressure. Do a natural pressure release. NOTE: If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker then cook it for 2 or 3 whistles on medium heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
• Heat a pot on the stovetop with 1 tablespoon sesame oil or ghee preferably. 
• Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon of split urad dal, a pinch of fenugreek seeds( around 8 to 10 seeds), chopped ginger & garlic pieces, hing, ground turmeric, red chilli pieces, slit green chilli and curry leaves. Saute them for a few seconds until you get a nice aroma.
• Now add ½ cup of chopped onion and a little salt with it to help onions cook faster. Saute the onions for 2 or 3 minutes until they turn translucent.

• Then add chopped tomatoes and a little salt with them. Cook covered while stirring in between until the tomatoes are softened.
• Now add chopped spinach and cook UNCOVERED for 2 or 3 minutes until it is cooked just enough.
• Open the pressure cooker or Instant pot and take the Dal pot out and mash the dal using a whisk while it is still hot adding enough water to get the desired consistency.
• Now add the mashed and thinned dal to the cooked spinach mixture on the stovetop and mix well. Add salt to taste and cook for a couple of minutes until everything comes together and switch off the stove.
• Now add lemon juice to taste and garnish with cilantro to serve hot with rice or roti/chapati or as a soup.

How to make Instant pot spinach dal recipe

• Turn on the Instant pot saute mode and heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or ghee preferably.
• Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon of split urad dal, a pinch of fenugreek seeds( around 8 to 10 seeds), chopped ginger & garlic pieces, hing, ground turmeric, red chilli pieces, slit green chilli and curry leaves. Saute them for a few seconds until you get a nice aroma.
• Now add ½ cup of chopped onion and a little salt with it to help onions cook faster. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes until they turn translucent.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and a little salt with them. Cook for a minute or two.
• Next, add the washed dal and 1.5 cups of water with it and mix well to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
  • Note: If you want, you can use a trivet to place your rice bowl on top of the dal (pot in pot method). The cooking time given below will be good for both rice and dal.
• Cancel saute mode, close the Instant pot lid with the vent in sealing position, turn on manual mode on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• Once the Instant pot beeps and turns off, do a natural pressure release for 10 mins and then turn the knob to VENT position to release the rest of the pressure until the pin drops.
• Open the lid and turn on saute mode. Use a whisk to mash the dal if you prefer, whisk works perfectly to mash the dal when it is not too thick and is still hot. Add the chopped spinach and salt and give it a mix. Cook it for 2 or 3 minutes until the spinach is cooked and dal reaches desired consistency. Add more water if you prefer.
• Now turn it off, add lemon juice after a couple of minutes and garnish with cilantro to serve hot with rice or roti or as a soup.

Pro Tips for making best dal palak

• Moong dal tastes best in spinach dal. If you prefer you can even use half moong dal and half toor dal or full toor dal.
• Even though you can use any oil, Sesame oil or Ghee gives best flavor while making dals.
• Minimal spices is what gives Lentil soups/Dal soups the best flavor along with fresh additions like ginger, garlic, lemon juice etc.. So try to keep the extra spices you want to add to minimal amounts.
• Even though both methods I have given below are pretty close in taste, I personally like pressure cooking the dal first and then finishing it on stove top like in first method. I feel like sauteeing tomato and spinach first adds to the flavor a little more. Feel free to use any method based on your convenience.

More Easy Indian Vegetarian Recipes

• Paneer Jalfrezi
• South Indian style Okra stew (Bendakaya pulusu)
• Indian style Kale Rice
• Instant pot greem moong dal pulao
• Garlic pepper mushroom masala

Adjusting Spice levels

This recipe is mild to medium spicy based on the type of green chili you use.

• If you prefer to reduce the spice level further, add only half a green chili and may be skip the red chilli.
• If you want to increase the spice level, increase the number of green chilis you use and may be add a little red chilli powder at the end.

Serving Suggestion

Here are some of the ways you can serve dal palak or Palakura Pappu.

• With white rice or brown rice, ghee on top , Indian spicy pickle on the side and fryums like papad ( most common way in South India)
• With Roti or naan or paratha, Indian pickle and plain yogurt on the side (most common way in Northern India)
• Serve it as a whole some soup. Make it in a thinner consistency for this method.
• Use the left over dal to make roti dough in place of water.

Storing and Reheating

If you are planning to use the leftovers for another day then it is very important to store the dal in the refrigerator in an air-tight container as soon as possible after making it and cooling it. This retains the taste and freshness of the dal for the next time you eat.

If cooled and saved in the refrigerator immediately, spinach dal (dal palak) stays fresh for 2 or 3 days.

Reheat only the quantity that you want when using leftovers instead of reheating all of it and storing it back in the refrigerator again if you can't finish it.

Recipe

Dhal Palak | Spinach Dal | Palakura Pappu

Yamini

Dal Palak or Spinach Dal is a very simple, most common, and soul-satisfying dish from India. It is simply a lentil soup made with Spinach which makes it one of the most healthy dishes suitable for all ages. It is also vegan and gluten-free.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup split yellow moong dal
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 cups chopped spinach also called palak or Palakura
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 to matoes chopped
• Salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon of red chilli powder I didn't use it, it is optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ½ to 1 tablespoon Lemon juice

For tempering

• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or ghee avoid ghee if making the vegan version
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon split urad dal optional
• Pinch of fenugreek seeds around 8 to 10
• ¼ teaspoon of asafoetida also known as hing, skip it if you are on a gluten-free diet
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 red chilli broken
• 1 green chilli slit I used serrano, use based on your spice level tolerance
• 1 sprig of Curry leaves

Instructions

 

Preparation (Same for stovetop or Instant pot method)

• Wash and peel the ginger with a spoon ( easy way to peel the ginger) and chop it finely. Peel and chop the garlic into small pieces.
• Chop the onion and tomatoes into small pieces. Split the green chilli lengthwise. Break the red chilli into pieces.
• Wash the Spinach thoroughly with water multiple times, chop it and set it aside.
• Chop the cilantro and lemon for lemon juice to use at the end.

How to make Dhal Palak on the stovetop

• Take the ½ cup of washed dal and 1.5 cups water into a vessel and cook it in the Instant pot using the pot in pot method for Manual 10 minutes on high pressure. Do a natural pressure release.
• NOTE: If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker then cook it for 2 or 3 whistles on medium heat. Let the pressure release naturally. You can also cook the dal on stovetop pot adding enough water until it is cooked thoroughly.
• Heat a pot on the stovetop with 1 tablespoon sesame oil or ghee preferably. 
• Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon of split urad dal, a pinch of fenugreek seeds( around 8 to 10 seeds), chopped ginger & garlic pieces, hing, ground turmeric, red chilli pieces, slit green chilli and curry leaves. Saute them for a few seconds until you get a nice aroma.
• Now add ½ cup of chopped onion and a little salt with it to help onions cook faster. Saute the onions for 2 or 3 minutes until they turn translucent.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and a little salt with them. Cook covered while stirring in between until the tomatoes are softened.
• Now add chopped spinach and cook UNCOVERED for 2 or 3 minutes until it is cooked just enough.
• Open the pressure cooker or Instant pot and take the Dal pot out and mash the dal using a whisk while it is still hot adding enough water to get the desired consistency.
• Now add the mashed and thinned dal to the cooked spinach mixture on the stovetop and mix well. Add salt to taste and cook for a couple of minutes until everything comes together and switch off the stove.
• Now add lemon juice to taste and garnish with cilantro to serve hot with rice or roti/chapati or as a soup. 

How to make Instant pot spinach dal recipe

• Turn on the Instant pot saute mode and heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or ghee preferably.
• Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, a pinch of fenugreek seeds( around 8 to 10 seeds), chopped ginger & garlic pieces, hing, ground turmeric, red chilli pieces, slit green chilli and curry leaves. Saute them for a few seconds until you get a nice aroma.
• Now add ½ cup of chopped onion and a little salt with it to help onions cook faster. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes until they turn translucent.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and a little salt with them. Cook for a minute or two.
• Next, add the washed dal and 1.5 cups of water with it and mix well to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
• Note: If you want, you can use a trivet to place your rice bowl on top of the dal (pot in pot method). The cooking time given below will be good for both rice and dal.
• Cancel saute mode, close the Instant pot lid with the vent in sealing position, turn on manual mode on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• Once the Instant pot beeps and turns off, do a natural pressure release for 10 mins and then turn the knob to VENT position to release the rest of the pressure until the pin drops.
• Open the lid and turn on saute mode. Use a whisk to mash the dal if you prefer. Add the chopped spinach and salt and give it a mix. Cook it for 2 or 3 minutes until the spinach is cooked and dal reaches desired consistency. Add more water if you prefer.
• Now turn it off, add lemon juice after a couple of minutes and garnish with cilantro to serve hot with rice or roti or as a soup.

Notes

• Usually, dals with greens taste best when made with minimal spices. That's why I didn't use any ground spices. If you prefer you can add a little cumin powder and red chili powder.
• You can use any method given above based on your convenience and appliance availability. My personal favorite is the first method i.e cooking plain dal in an Instant pot or pressure cooker and making dhal palak on the stovetop.
• You can use either moong dal or toor dal to make this recipe. I prefer moong dal as that gives the best taste to the palak dal recipe.
• Use sesame oil instead of ghee for vegan variation. You can also use any preferred oil like coconut oil, canola oil, avocado oil, etc..
• If planning to use the leftovers for another day, then it is very important to store the dal in the refrigerator in an air-tight container as soon as possible after preparing the dal and cooling it. This retains the fresh taste of the dal for the next time you eat it.

Keyword Dhal Palak recipe, Instant pot Spinach, Palak dal recipe, Palakura Pappu, Spinach dal recipe

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