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    Home » Recipes » Green Gram ~ Mung Dal ~ Moong Dal

    Published: May 26, 2018 · Modified: Jul 16, 2020 by Usha Rao

    Methi Palak Dal ~ Vegan Indian Lentil Stew

    Jump to Recipe

    Methi palak dal is a flavorful, vegan Indian lentil stew with fresh spinach and fenugreek. It pairs well with rice and Indian flat breads.

    Fenugreek Spinach Dal, Methi Palak Dal

    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.

    Rice with methi palak dal

    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.

    Everyday Thali

    Methi Palak Dal Recipe

    📖 Recipe

    Methi Palak Dal

    Vegan Indian green gram dal cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves and spinach
    4.85 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 248kcal
    Author: Usha Rao

    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

    Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3163mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1598IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 514mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Share a photo! Mention @usha_myspicykitchen or tag #Usha_MySpicyKitchen!

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    Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#88

    More Green Gram ~ Mung Dal ~ Moong Dal

    • Bowl of mung beans curry in a bowl placed on a plate. In the background is a bowl of rice and mung curry.
      Moong Bean Dal, Gujarati Mag
    • IP vegetable soup in a green cup on a saucer
      Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Recipe
    • A stack of moong dal stuffed sweet bread and a bowl of ghee.
      Bakshalu - Green Gram Stuffed Sweet Flatbread
    • Bowls of moong dal payasam / green gram pudding, gluten free and vegan
      Gluten Free, Vegan Moong Dal Payasam

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Amina says

      October 26, 2018 at 2:23 am

      4 stars
      your clicks are just amazing..... dal looks delicious... adding palak takes the health quotient to an even higher level...

      Reply
    2. preeti garg says

      August 07, 2018 at 8:01 am

      This Dal looks so inviting and comforting meall.

      Reply
    3. Chef Mireille says

      June 13, 2018 at 12:46 pm

      5 stars
      love this combo of veggies in the dal - my kind of dal

      Reply
    4. sapana says

      June 12, 2018 at 2:41 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    5. Chef Mireille says

      June 11, 2018 at 1:50 am

      5 stars
      OMG - that last photo - I can easily dig into that whole platter!

      Reply
    6. themadscientistskitchen says

      June 10, 2018 at 4:21 am

      5 stars
      Omg! What I will give to lay my hands on the Thali it so delicious. Yummy!!

      Reply
    7. Pavani says

      May 31, 2018 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    8. Gayathri Kumar says

      May 29, 2018 at 11:40 pm

      5 stars
      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..

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 30, 2018 at 3:29 am

        Do try it Gayathri. You may like the flavor

        Reply
    9. Sowmya says

      May 29, 2018 at 11:27 pm

      5 stars
      I have never tried methi and Palak together....sounds like a flavourful bowl of dal. The thali looks lovely!

      Reply
    10. harini says

      May 29, 2018 at 10:00 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 30, 2018 at 3:29 am

        Thanks and you are welcome. Glad I my post made you go down the memory lane. Yes, it is just individual preference.

        Reply
    11. Mayuri Patel says

      May 29, 2018 at 12:50 pm

      4 stars
      Wow what a delicious spread. Adding both palak and methi to dal is awesome. A great way to add more greens to the diet.

      Reply
    12. Sandhiya says

      May 29, 2018 at 11:42 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 30, 2018 at 3:27 am

        Please do try it Sandhiya. I was surprised how good it tasted.

        Reply
    13. Srivalli says

      May 29, 2018 at 8:31 am

      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.

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 30, 2018 at 3:26 am

        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 🙂

        Reply
    14. Renu says

      May 28, 2018 at 6:31 am

      5 stars
      The dal looks so tempting and yet so comforting...Loved those clicks...

      Reply
    15. Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says

      May 28, 2018 at 3:00 am

      5 stars
      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...

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 29, 2018 at 6:28 am

        Same here Rafeeda. Eevn I spend lot more time pulling out the good ones.. 🙂

        Reply
    16. Varada says

      May 27, 2018 at 11:43 pm

      I love greens added to dal, enhances the flavor! I liked your dal series. Total comfort food.

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 29, 2018 at 6:38 am

        Yes, it is a comfort food. Thanks

        Reply
    17. Priya Suresh says

      May 27, 2018 at 11:57 am

      Just prefect to finish a meal without any fuss, simply love these sort of greens loaded dal. And that thali looks astonishing and comforting.

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 29, 2018 at 7:02 am

        Thanks Priya

        Reply
    18. Vaishali Sabnani says

      May 27, 2018 at 12:41 am

      That’s a lovely daal , it must be so flavourful Plus healthy with those greens . The whole Thali looks cool and is quite tempting .

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        May 29, 2018 at 7:01 am

        Thank you Vaishali. Ys, it was quite flavorful.

        Reply
    19. Farah says

      May 26, 2018 at 11:21 am

      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

      Reply

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