Spinach Dhal Recipe
From:
Fresh Indian
, by
Sunil Vijayakar
Makes:
4 servings
No Indian meal is complete without a bowl of spicy lentil dhal, which is one of the staple dishes eaten throughout the country. This version is flecked with fresh, tender baby spinach for extra flavor, color, and texture.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root
- 3 1/2 ounces baby spinach leaves, chopped
- Large handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons light olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 red chile, finely chopped
- Sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the lentils in a large saucepan with the water, turmeric, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
- Lower the heat and cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and chopped cilantro, stir, and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a small, nonstick frying pan and when it is hot add the garlic, cumin and mustard seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander, and red chile. Stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, then pour this mixture into the lentils. Stir to mix well, season, and serve immediately with rice or naan bread.
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I am very excited to try this out. And it's cheap too? Freaking great!
i would try adding a couple of curry leaves (fresh, preferably) with the initial boil and then maybe some diced tomatoes at the same time you add the stir-fry mixture. also, i would probably save the cilantro for last and add it as a garnish.
i liked it, but i used a lot more spices and it still didn´t taste that spicy. But i don´t know, using spinach in an indish dish never tasted that well when i cooked it :( in the restaurant, that´s a different story!
love spices too but in this instance the quantity of cumin and mustard didnt add anything to the taste unless you count crunch factor in the dal which i didnt think essential.
I actually LOVED the spices -- but I love cumin/alot of spice. I also used black mustard seeds, so don't know how they are in relation to, say, yellow. At any rate, I really loved this -- am not sure how I'd adjust the spices, since you need to stir fry them and thus can't just add and add some more if it's not spicy enough. Or maybe you can stir fry half, then if that's not enough, do another...+READ
I actually LOVED the spices -- but I love cumin/alot of spice. I also used black mustard seeds, so don't know how they are in relation to, say, yellow. At any rate, I really loved this -- am not sure how I'd adjust the spices, since you need to stir fry them and thus can't just add and add some more if it's not spicy enough. Or maybe you can stir fry half, then if that's not enough, do another batch and add that? There are others on this board with more experience than in such heated matters.-COLLAPSE
tried it. however too much of the cumin and mustard seeds so decreased the amount to 1/2 tspn each. next time will also add a tomato for some tartness to the dish. but liked the idea of the dish and one more use for spinach. love that.