Palak Dal Recipe | Hotel Style Spinach Dal Tadka – Tips & Tricks with detailed photo and video recipe. An easy, simple, and healthy lentil curry recipe made with spinach leaves, mixed lentils, and spices. It is a perfect semi-gravy curry recipe that can be either served with roti and rice recipes too. There are many ways to prepare this lentil curry with either combination of lentils or with just one selected lentil for a creamy and rich curry.
Palak Dal Recipe | Hotel Style Spinach Dal Tadka – Tips & Tricks with step-by-step photo and video recipe. Dal recipes are one of the staple food of North India, if not across India. There are many types and variants to this simple curry which differ with the type of lentil used or with additional seasonings used in it. One such easy and simple dal curry recipe is palak dal recipe or commonly known as spinach dal made with spinach leaves seasonings.
As I explained earlier, there are different types of dal recipes prepared and served across India. As a matter of fact, there are more than 20 dal recipes I have posted till now. I have tried to cover both popular and regional recipes across India. But there are certain recipes that are made as multipurpose curry. These are special kinds of dal and can be served with both rice and bread recipes. This is mainly due to the consistency of the dal, seasonings toppings, and the combination of dal used in it. Palak dal is one such classical example with spinach leaves used as additional toppings. Additionally, I used 4 types of lentils, which makes them thick and creamy. Therefore, this spinach dal can also be treated as sabzi too for any type of roti, chapati, and naan bread.
Furthermore, some additional tips, suggestions, and variants to the palak dal recipe. Firstly, the combination of lentils used in this recipe is not mandatory and it is purely optional. The same recipe can be made with just one of the preferred lentils. However, not that this would not yield the same thick consistency and hence cannot be treated as multipurpose curry. Secondly, use fresh and tender spinach leaves for this recipe. Tender leaves are not only healthy but also easy to handle and cook with lentils. Lastly, once the dal is prepared the additional spice tempering is optional. Also, the consistency may thicken once it is rested. You may need to add water and reheat it before serving.
Finally, do visit my other related Dal Recipes Collection with this post on palak dal recipes. It mainly includes my other recipes like Dal Tadka Recipe – Punjabi Dhaba Style, Dal Makhani Recipe – Restaurant Style in Pressure Cooker, Butter Dal Fry Recipe, instant dal premix, panchmel dal, maa ki dal, langar dal, keerai kootu, tomato pappu, pesara pappu charu. Further to these, I would also like to add some more related recipes categories like,
About Palak Dal:
It is a simple and easy dal curry or lentil recipe made with a combination of lentils, spinach leaves, and spice seasonings. In other words, palak dal or spinach dal is not only tasty and delicious, it is loaded with fiber and nutrients to make it a complete meal. It is typically prepared as a rice side dish but due to the nature of its consistency, it can also be served as side to roti and naan bread recipes. It is best with flavored jeera rice, fried rice, or any pulao rice recipe.
There are different types of dal palak recipes across India. The majority of this is made with either toor dal or moong dal with fresh and green spinach leaves. However, the hotel-style or dhaba-style palak dal is made with a combination of lentils. In this case, 4 types of lentils are used, namely toor dal, moong dal, chana dal, and masoor dal. Combining these makes it special and perhaps one of the premium curry recipes.
Pro Tips for Palak Dal:
The recipe is a simple combination of various lentils with additional seasonings or toppings of spinach leaves. Yet some mandatory and important tips for dal palak recipe –
- Lentil Choices – The popular restaurant style uses 4-5 types of lentils with additional spinach leaves. The addition of these leaves makes it special with the thick consistency. But it can be reduced to just 2 or 1 like toor dal or moong dal.
- Fresh Spinach – The use of fresh and tender leaves is mandatory for this recipe. Using tender fresh leaves makes it super healthy and easily digestible. Moreover, tender leaves contain more fiber and get easily dissolved with lentil curry.
- Consistency – Typically, it carries a thick and creamy consistency due to the use of different types of lentils. Thus making it a multipurpose curry for both rice and rotis too.
- Tempering or Tadka – Once the dal is prepared, adding spice and garlic tadka is important and critical for taste and texture.
- Additional Spices – The recipe should be good with the spices added or shown in this recipe. Yet if you wish to extend you may other spice mixes like curry powder or dal masala. However please check the spice mix ingredients so that it does not overpower the other spices.
Why does this recipe work?
There are many reasons why this recipe is a super popular choice for all age groups. To name a few are –
- Multipurpose Use – Due to the range of lentils used in it with the additional spinach toppings, it gets a creamy and thick texture. Therefore, it can be used for rice, roti, and any type of bread too.
- Health Benefits – Due to the use of lentils, spinach, and spices, it offers a complete and balanced meal package. It also improves digestion, heart health and provides necessary protein and antioxidants.
- Variations – The recipe can be simply extended or made with different types of lentils, and additional toppings of vegetables and herbs. This makes it more like a curry instead of just a dal recipe.
- Comforting Food – The recipe is made as hotel-style curry, yet is so comforting and easy to stomach. Hence it can also be served if you face stomach upset or indigestion.
- Range of Flavors – Due to the range of ingredients like lentils, spinach leaves, onions, tomato, and garlic, palak dal offers a burst of flavors.
Video Recipe:
Recipe Card for Dal Palak:
Palak Dal Recipe | Hotel Style Spinach Dal - Tips & Tricks
Ingredients
for pressure cooking:
- ½ cup chana dal
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ¼ cup toor dal
- ¼ cup masoor dal
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cup water
for masala:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- pinch hing
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, sliced
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
- 2 tomato, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 bunch palak, chopped
- 1 cup water
for tempering:
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin
- pinch hing
- 1 tsp kasuri methi
- 2 dried red chilli
- 1 tsp chilli powder
Instructions
- Firstly, in a pressure cooker take ½ cup chana dal, ¼ cup moong dal, ¼ cup toor dal and ¼ cup masoor dal.
- Add ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 4 cup water.
- Cover and pressure cook for 5 whistles.
- Once the pressure is released, check the doneness of the dal.
- In a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil. add 1 tsp cumin, pinch hing, 5 cloves garlic and 1 onion.
- Saute until the onion shrinks slightly and changes colour.
- Keeping the flame on low, add ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder.
- Saute on low flame until the spices turn aromatic.
- Further add 2 tomato, ½ tsp salt and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
- Now add 1 bunch palak and saute until the palak shrinks slightly.
- Further, add in cooked dal, 1 cup water and mix well adjusting the consistency.
- Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the flavours are absorbed well.
- Now to prepare the tempering, heat 2 tbsp ghee. add 1 tsp cumin, pinch hing, 1 tsp kasuri methi, 2 dried red chilli and 1 tsp chilli powder.
- Do not burn the tempering, immediately pour over the dal and mix well.
- Finally, enjoy Palak Dal Recipe with roti or rice.
Nutrition
How to make Spinach Dal with step-by-step photos:
- Firstly, in a pressure cooker take ½ cup chana dal, ¼ cup moong dal, ¼ cup toor dal and ¼ cup masoor dal.
- Add ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 4 cup water.
- Cover and pressure cook for 5 whistles.
- Once the pressure is released, check the doneness of the dal.
- In a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil. add 1 tsp cumin, pinch hing, 5 cloves garlic and 1 onion.
- Saute until the onion shrinks slightly and changes colour.
- Keeping the flame on low, add ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder.
- Saute on low flame until the spices turn aromatic.
- Further add 2 tomato, ½ tsp salt and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
- Now add 1 bunch palak and saute until the palak shrinks slightly.
- Further, add in cooked dal, 1 cup water and mix well adjusting the consistency.
- Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the flavours are absorbed well.
- Now to prepare the tempering, heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add 1 tsp cumin, pinch hing, 1 tsp kasuri methi, 2 dried red chilli and 1 tsp chilli powder.
- Do not burn the tempering, immediately pour over the dal and mix well.
- Finally, enjoy Palak Dal Recipe with roti or rice.
Notes:
- Firstly, i have used a combination of dal, you can just make any one variety of dal.
- Also, using ghee in tadka will enhance the flavour of dal.
- Additionally, do not overcook the palak, as it loses its nutritional value.
- Finally, Palak Dal Recipe tastes great when prepared with a combination of dal.