Spinach Daal Recipe
My first recipe for my new site features nutritional powerhouse ingredients including turmeric, ginger, spinach, and legumes (moong daal). Daal is a stew prepared in different yet usually similar ways throughout India, and it starts with a base of lentils or legumes. There are numerous varieties of lentils/legumes that are used throughout India including but not limited to moong/mung daal (green legumes), toor/tuver daal (pigeon peas), and masoor daal (red lentils) . This particular recipe uses peeled split moong daal, which is simple and quick to prepare. It is finished with tempered spices using a technique commonly used in Gujarati cooking known as vaghaar— blooming spices in hot oil. I recommend soaking the daal a bit before starting. Do this as your first step before prepping the other ingredients in order to save time!
The inspiration for this recipe draws from my Gujarati Indian heritage and it is similar to a dish I grew up eating. It uses traditional Indian ingredients, and I have provided detailed ingredient notes at the end of the recipe. Don’t fret if you’re not interested in Indian recipes. There will be plenty of other recipes to come!
Ingredients
Makes about 4 servings
For daal:
1 cup peeled and split moong daal (*1)
1 teaspoon oil (*2)
1 small cinnamon stick (*3)
3 cloves (*3)
½ tablespoon freshly grated or minced ginger
½ jalepeno pepper (*4), finely minced, to taste
10-15 curry leaves (*5)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon salt, to taste
3 cups packed roughly chopped spinach baby spinach (or kale)
1-2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, to taste
For tempered spices:
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground Indian red chili, to taste (*6)
1-2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, optional for serving
Cooked rice or quinoa, optional for serving
*see ingredient notes at the end of the recipe for further details
Method
Rinse the moong daal until the water runs nearly clear, about 1 minute. Soak in a large bowl with 3 cups water for about 30-60 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Once the daal has soaked, bring a large pot to medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and heat until glossy, about 30 seconds. Add the cinnamon and cloves and heat until fragrant, about 15-30 seconds. (If using ground spices, add with turmeric in step 3.) Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the ginger, green chili, and curry leaves. Stir immediately and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the soaked daal along with the full 3 cups water and stir well. Add turmeric, stir well, and bring to a gentle boil at medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer loosely covered for 15-20 minutes or until the daal is tender to preference. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed to adjust to desired consistency. You may need about 1 cup extra water during the cooking process as the final product should not be too dry.
Add salt and chopped spinach, stir well, loosely cover, and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and adjust other seasoning to taste.
In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil to medium-high heat. This technique requires attention full attention and may require some experimentation. Once oil is hot, add cumin and mustard seeds and heat until mustard seeds begin to pop, likely within seconds. Remove from heat and swirl in ground red chili.
Top daal with the heated spices and oil, and stir well to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot with cooked rice or quinoa.
Ingredient notes
This recipe is intended for split moong/mung daal without skin, which is widely available at Indian grocers or online. Split masoor daal (red lentils) may also be used but exact cooking time may vary slightly. This recipe is not intended for whole legumes/lentils, as they take much longer to cook and require a different preparation.
Neutral oil such as grapeseed which is what was used when developing this recipe.
Ground spices can be used if whole spices are unavailable. Use about ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground clove.
I used de-seeded jalapeno because I prefer this less spicy. Feel free to leave the seeds in or use a serrano pepper or even Thai green chili instead if you like it even spicer. Adjust the amount completely to your own spice tolerance.
Curry leaves are readily available at Indian grocers. They have a wonderful aroma and add depth to this dish. If unavailable they can be left out. If using, be sure to wash thoroughly before using and pat dry as much as possible to reduce spluttering while heating in oil.
Substitute cayenne if needed.
