Methi palak dal is a flavorful, vegan Indian lentil stew with fresh spinach and fenugreek. It pairs well with rice and Indian flat breads.
Dazzling Dals from India
Theme of the week is dazzling dals. The first two recipes are toor dal and pancheml dal. The last recipe is a South Indian green leaves dal. I mixed two green leaves to prepare this dal.
Dal is a very common preparation in India and it is often prepared with green leaves such as spinach, fenugreek leaves, purslane and sorrel leaves. Tomato, tamarind and lime juice are some of the add ons to dal. Green leaves are rich in iron but is not bioavailable. Iron is not readily available for the body to absorb. Hence, cook spinach with some vitamin C rich food such as tomatoes, tamarind and lime to enhance the bioavailability of iron in green leaves.
What is Fenugreek Spinach Dal?
It is moong dal with fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) and spinach (palak). Palak moong dal is a very common preparation in everyday South Indian cuisine. Before coming to India almost 3 weeks ago, I was on clearing my refrigerator mode. I had some methi and palak, hence mixed both the greens to prepare this dal.
Methi Palak Dal Recipe
Methi Palak Dal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Moong Dal
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 3-4 Curry Leaves
- ½ small Onion chopped
- 3 small Green Chilies cut into small pieces
- 2 fat Garlic Cloves crushed
- 1 - 1½ teaspoon Salt
- Pinch of Turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon Chili Powder (optional)
- 1 cup Fresh Fenugreek Leaves chopped
- 1 cup Spinach chopped
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
Instructions
- Wash and cook moong dal with ½ cup of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whites/hisses. Cooking in a saucepan will require more water.
- In a saucepan heat oil, add cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- When seeds splutter, add green chilies, onions and cook till onions are soft.
- Add fenugreek leaves, garlic and cook until fenugreek leaves wilt.
- Next add turmeric, chili powder if using, salt and give a good stir.
- Add spinach and cook for a minute or two till leaves wilt.
- Mash cooked dal and add to saucepan.
- Let everything blend together, cook for a minute or two.
- Add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
- Cook until Spinach is cooked and dal reaches a desired consistency, about 5-10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt and chili powder.
- Squeeze ½ lime or 1 tablespoon of juice.
- Give a good stir, turn off the flame, cover and let it sit for few minutes before serving.
- Serve with rice rice or Indian flatbread.
Notes
- Variation - Substitute spinach + fenugreek leaves with any greens of choice or a mix of green leaves.
- Nutrition - Values are approximate values.
Nutrition
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Amina says
your clicks are just amazing..... dal looks delicious... adding palak takes the health quotient to an even higher level...
preeti garg says
This Dal looks so inviting and comforting meall.
Chef Mireille says
love this combo of veggies in the dal - my kind of dal
sapana says
Mehi and palak together cooked in the dal are so comforting. I love methi palak saag but never tried them in dal, will try next time for sure.
Chef Mireille says
OMG - that last photo - I can easily dig into that whole platter!
themadscientistskitchen says
Omg! What I will give to lay my hands on the Thali it so delicious. Yummy!!
Pavani says
This is such a comforting and delicious dal. Combining methi and palak sounds like a great idea. I've never tried that combination, will have to try your version next time I buy fresh methi.
Gayathri Kumar says
Dal is my all time fav comfort food. I have made it either with palak or with methi, but never combined both. Let me try it next time. The spread looks so yum Usha..
MySpicyKitchen says
Do try it Gayathri. You may like the flavor
Sowmya says
I have never tried methi and Palak together....sounds like a flavourful bowl of dal. The thali looks lovely!
harini says
When I first landed in the US about 19 years back, I was told by my neighbor that palak here doesn't taste the same as in India and hence she always adds a little methi leaves in it. I was surprised but I used to do the same then. Later on, I realized that it was just a preference 🙂 Your post reminded me of that and I have not cooked this combo since then ! Thanks for sharing this and taking me down the memory lane.
MySpicyKitchen says
Thanks and you are welcome. Glad I my post made you go down the memory lane. Yes, it is just individual preference.
Mayuri Patel says
Wow what a delicious spread. Adding both palak and methi to dal is awesome. A great way to add more greens to the diet.
Sandhiya says
Another comforting, healthy and delicious dal. I have tried spinach and methi dal separately, but never used the combination, sounds interesting, will try it soon.
MySpicyKitchen says
Please do try it Sandhiya. I was surprised how good it tasted.
Srivalli says
I love the whole thali you got there Usha. And this one is our favorite dal. We used to grow palak and methi sometime back and always used to mix it as it wasn't enough on its own..such beautiful colour!..I enjoyed your series so much.
MySpicyKitchen says
Thanks Valli. Yes I too enjoyed doing this series and in fact have couple of more dals in my drafts. Read it as, I will take up this theme again in the future 🙂
Renu says
The dal looks so tempting and yet so comforting...Loved those clicks...
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
My hands are stretching towards that whole thali... just a fulfilling meal! I also keep mixing up my greens, since it gets spoiled really fast and I end up spending time just to pull out the good leaves... hehe... The dal looks so comforting...
MySpicyKitchen says
Same here Rafeeda. Eevn I spend lot more time pulling out the good ones.. 🙂
Varada says
I love greens added to dal, enhances the flavor! I liked your dal series. Total comfort food.
MySpicyKitchen says
Yes, it is a comfort food. Thanks
Priya Suresh says
Just prefect to finish a meal without any fuss, simply love these sort of greens loaded dal. And that thali looks astonishing and comforting.
MySpicyKitchen says
Thanks Priya
Vaishali Sabnani says
That’s a lovely daal , it must be so flavourful Plus healthy with those greens . The whole Thali looks cool and is quite tempting .
MySpicyKitchen says
Thank you Vaishali. Ys, it was quite flavorful.
Farah says
Comfort food for the south indians! Its one of my favourite dal recipes where i can use palak without the kids complaining!!! Urs looks amazing