Spinach Dal Tadka
Spinach, a leafy green vegetable rich in iron, Vitamin E, and magnesium supports your immune system. It is a great cleansing vegetable. Moong daal, low in fat and high in fiber as well as protein. It is rich in several vitamins and minerals The spices in this recipe will ignite your digestive fire.
Ingredients:
1 cup moong dal
2 cups water or broth
1 tablespoon ghee
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
¼ teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
1-2 green chilies, 1-inch piece of ginger, 2-3 cloves of garlic ((make a fine paste with mortar and pestle)
1/2 cup diced onions
2 cups baby spinach finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
Wash and soak dal for a couple of hours.
Drain the dal and combine with water in a saucepan. Simmer while covered for 35 minutes or until dal is completely cooked. You can also cook it in a pressure cooker on a medium flame until 3-4 whistles blow.
Once dal is cooked, set it aside, and in a separate saucepan prepare the tadka. For the tadka, heat the ghee and add cumin seeds to it. Once cumin seeds crackle, add asafoetida or hing. Then add chopped onions, chopped tomato, and paste made of green chilies, garlic, and ginger. Cook till onions are translucent and tomato is tender. Once onions and tomato are cooked, add finely chopped spinach and cook it for 1-2 minutes or until it is tender. Turn off the heat and add the tadka to the saucepan which has the cooked moong dal.
Now put the pan with dal on a medium flame, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, salt, and garam masala. Let it boil for 15-20 minutes on a medium flame.
After 15-20 minutes, turn off the stove and lemon juice. Then serve with rice or roti.
This basic moong dal recipe is hearty, creamy, and delicious. Add more water if you prefer the dal to be like a soup, or leave it as-is for a thicker version. Serve with a spoonful of ghee on top and enjoy!