Moong Dal Palak Recipe

  Ingredients:

1 small cup moong dal/split yellow dal/pesara pappu, cooked over stove top till soft

2 cups chopped and tightly packed palakura/palak/spinach

1 onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

pinch of cumin pwd

big pinch turmeric pwd

pinch of garam masala    

salt to taste

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

1 1/2 cups water, approx

For seasoning/poppu/tadka:

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

pinch of hing/asafoetida/inguva

1 tbsp ghee or oil

1 In a pressure cooker, add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water and moong dal and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. If cooking over stove top, cook till the dal is almost cooked.

2 Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add cumin seeds and as they splutter, add hing and stir fry for few seconds. Add the chopped onions and ginger-green chilli paste and saute for 3-4 mts.

3 Add red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd and cumin pwd and combine. Add the chopped palak and saute for 5 mts. Add chopped tomato and saute for another 3 mts.

4 Add the pressure cooked dal along with salt and half a cup of water and combine. Add the coconut milk and garam masala and cook on slow to medium flame without lid for 15 mts or till you get the consistency of your choice.

5 Serve with rotis or white rice.