Today’s, Moong Dal with Spinach Recipe is traditionally called Dal Palak (Palak is the Hindi name for Spinach, widely used in Indian Subcontinent). It is an authentic north Indian-style dish enjoyed on both sides of the Indo-Pak border. This Palak a.k.a Spinach meal is rich in nutrients, spicy, delicious, and aromatic all at the same time. It’s a tasty one-pot meal that’s perfect any day of the week.
This is an excellent way to incorporate veggies into your diet, especially for children who dislike eating leafy greens.
So let’s head to the kitchen and start cooking!
Moong Dal with Spinach
Ingredients
For pressure cooking, the Daal
- ¾ cup Moong Daal. Without skin
- 1½ cups Water.
For Cooking Daal with Spinach
- 2 tbsp Cooking oil. Vegetable
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds. Zeera
- 2 tsp Ginger & Garlic Paste. Freshly grated and crushed
- 2 Green chilies. Finely chopped
- 1 Red onion. Medium sliced
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder.
- ½ tsp Red.
- 1½ cup Spinach. Chopped, (palak) (about 50 leaves)
- 1 cup Water.
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice.
- Salt according to taste.
Instructions
Preparation of Dal;
- Add washed moong dal to the pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups of water.
- Cook for 2 whistles on medium heat.
- Allow the pressure to drop, then remove the cover and set the dal aside gradually.
Preparing the Moong Daal Spinach;
- Heat the oil on medium-high, add cumin seeds.
- Once sizzling, add ginger, garlic paste, green chilies and cook for 1 minute.
- Next, add salt and onions to the pan and cook till they are golden.
- Then add the rest of the spices to the mix and cook for a few minutes.
- Next, add chopped spinach and sweat it down.
- Now add in the cooked daal with a cup of water, and bring to a boil.
- In the end, sprinkle with lemon juice and mix well.
Recommended Ingredients
Interesting Facts
Moong Dal (Yellow Lentils) is a popular and nutritious lentil. It is cooked in almost every Indian/Pakistani home. It is versatile and can easily be added to different vegetables and protein to make a scrumptious meal. This yellow lentil makes various dishes such as Dal, Pakodas, Halva, and lots of other mouth-watering recipes.
Cuisine, Calorie Count and Other Nutrition
Moong Dal is high in protein and vitamins content. They are a great source of antioxidants, which is great for our hearts. Antioxidants aid in the treatment of several chronic disorders. They are low in calories and high in fiber, both of which are beneficial to lose weight. Cooked moong dal is excellent for kids and pregnant women due to its easy digestion.
We all know that Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. Spinach contains many vitamins A, C, K1, iron, calcium, folic acid, and antioxidants. Folic acid is particularly useful to pregnant women. Any leafy greens, such as spinach, are also very good for our eyes. Its nutrients aid in the regulation of our blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
Nutritional Value per Serving
- Protein – 12.3 g
- Sugar – 3.7 g
- Carbohydrates – 33 g
- Fat – 9.6 g
- Saturated Fat – 1.3 g
- Cholesterol – 0 mg
- Sodium – 429 mg
- Potassium – 200 mg
- Fiber – 8.6 g
- Vitamin A – 1700 IU
- Vitamin C – 12.4 IU
- Calcium – 50 mg
- Iron – 12.4 mg
How to Store Moong Dal with Spinach?
When you’re through serving the dal, place it in the refrigerator with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerated leftover dals can only be kept for up to 4 days. So even if you want to consume part of it, make sure you only eat a little of it rather than reheating the entire container.
Pro Tips
- As spinach can be gritty, wash it several times to remove dirt and filth.
- If you don’t have fresh spinach on hand; you can use frozen spinach. For using forzen spinach, simply defrost it and squeeze out as much water as possible.
- If making this recipe for children, please adjust the amount of chili/spices accordingly.
From Mouth-Watering Traditional Cuisines
- Meatball Soup Recipe with Spinach
- Barilla Spinach Lasagna Recipe
- Chicken Spinach Feta Sausage Recipe
- Chicken and Spinach Pizza Recipe
- Wild Spinach recipe
- Indian Brown Rice Recipe
- Spinach Daal Andhra Style
Conclusion
This dal palak dish calls for only a few ingredients. Even so, it’s really tasty and flavorful. My family enjoyed this dal the first time I made it. Now, this Moong Dal with Spinach Recipe is a regular part of our vegetarian meals.
Enjoy it with hot Rotis or serve with zeera (cumin) rice, as we do in our house. Do give it a try! You will love it.