Dal Palak (or Spinach Dal) is a comforting and delicious Indian curry made with red lentils, spinach, and spices. This super healthy & nutritious dish is the perfect weekday meal and also a perfect comfort food for cold winter nights. My favorite way to serve it is along with Mushroom Rice (Mushroom Pilau), Tandoori Chicken, Onion Raita, and Keema Naan Bread.
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This classic Indian lentil and spinach curry bursts with flavors and has many variations. I use red lentils for this recipe as well as for my Turkish Recipes such as Mercimek Corbasi (Turkish Lentil Soup) and Mercimek Kofte (Lentil Balls). You can use split pigeon peas or yellow moong dal if you prefer.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Some recipes require cooking the lentils separately but you can skip that extra step when using red lentils. They cook quicker than any other lentils and help thicken the curry. Some red lentils absorb more liquid while cooking so you might have to adjust the amount of the stock.
- It is extremely easy to make with step-by-step pictures and instructions.
- This classic Indian curry is inexpensive, high in fiber, low in fat, full of nutrients, and still extremely delicious.
- It is the perfect comfort food that the whole family would love.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Lentils - I use red lentils for this recipe as they cook quickly, tend to melt during cooking, and give the curry a thicker texture. However, you can use other lentils such as yellow moong dal or chana dal.
- Garlic and ginger paste - This is a great ingredient for Asian recipes. It adds an incredible spicy flavor and amazing color to the Dal and Spinach Curry. Alternatively, you can use grated garlic and ginger and add another teaspoon of turmeric.
- Onions - They add great flavor to the curry. You can use finely diced brown, yellow or white onion. Shallots would work great as well.
- Spinach - I’ve used baby spinach in this recipe, you could use regular spinach as well as other greens such as kale or fenugreek.
- Tomatoes - They add a natural sweetness and subtle acidity.
- Ghee - I prefer using ghee or clarified butter as they elevate the flavor of the dish. You can use vegetable oil or olive oil to make this dish vegan.
- Stock - It adds great flavor to the curry. Use Basic Homemade Vegetable Stock for the vegan option. Chicken Stock (Bone Broth) also works perfectly with this dish. Alternatively, you can use stock cubes or store-bought stock.
- Coconut milk - It is optional but I strongly advise using it if you have some in hand. Coconut milk creates a nice balance by adding sweetness to the spicy curry dishes.
- Spices - Turmeric, black pepper, garam masala, and curry leaves are my favorite spices to use for Dal Palak.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making this delicious curry is straightforward. However, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
Place a Dutch oven or a pan on medium heat and start sautéing your onions with ghee. You need a bit of patience here as we want to brown the onions gently which will take about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste into the onions and sauté for another minute. Add the spices and seasoning, and sauté them for about 45 seconds until they get fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, red chili, and curry leaves. Cook them for another few minutes before adding the lentils, stock, and coconut milk.
Give it a good stir, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened. Add the spinach and cook for five more minutes.
Adjust the consistency with more stock if too thick or by cooking the curry longer if too runny. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Related Recipes
For more delicious vegetarian recipes why not try:
The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat the frozen Dal Palak, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the microwave for 1-3 minutes depending on the quantity.
Yes, with the nutrition from the lentils and spinach, this tasty dish is rich in protein and fiber which makes it a balanced and healthy addition to your diet.
This healthy and flavorsome curry is best when served with a bowl of Mushroom Rice (Mushroom Pilau), Keema Naan Bread, or Tawa Naan with Garlic.
Top Tips From the Chef
- You can turn this Dal dish into a fish curry. Simply cut the fish in chunky bite sizes and add them just before turning the heat off. Let the fish cook with the lid off for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle some coriander on to garnish.
- You can temper the curry for extra flavourings. To make the tempering, melt a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and then sauté 1 finely sliced garlic until slightly browned. Add ½ TSP of paprika, ½ TSP of cumin seeds and ½ TSP of asafoetida, sauté for 30 seconds and add it to your curry before serving.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious dal with spinach as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Red Lentil Dal with Spinach
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 red chilli (chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (chopped)
- 200 ml coconut milk (optional)
- 400 ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 150 g red lentils
- 200 g baby spinach
- ½ bunch coriander (chopped)
Instructions
- Melt the ghee in a pan on medium heat.
- Sauté onions until brown and stir in the garlic and ginger paste.
- Add the turmeric, garam masala, freshly ground black pepper, salt and quickly sauté for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes, red chilli and curry leaves, cook for a few more minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk, add the lentils, and the stock.
- Bring it to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 40 minutes or until the lentils are softened and thickened the sauce, stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Add the spinach, cook for another 5 minutes and check the seasoning.
- Add some salt if needed and sprinkle the chopped coriander to garnish.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Karina
I added some sweet potatoes along with the lentils. Absolutely delicious!
Ayla Clulee
Thank you Karina, so pleased to hear that.
Best wishes
Ayla x