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palak chana dal recipe

Easy Chana Dal Palak Recipe (Spinach Daal)

Could you believe that making Winter Greens would be an easy task?
This Palak Chana Dal Recipe is a one-pot Spinach Recipe made super easy for busy you. A popular recipe from North India,  this Spinach Chana Dal is a total comfort meal when teamed with jeera rice, Paratha or Chapati.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cool Off 5 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Indian main course, Indian Meals
Cuisine Indian, indian traditional
Servings 5 people
Calories 205 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker
  • 1 Blender
  • 1 Tadka Pan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cup Spinach leaves fresh sorted washed
  • 2 cup Chana Dal / Split Chickpea Lentil
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 tablespoon Desi Ghee
  • 1 small green chilly
  • 1 teaspoon Jeera (Cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon Heeng (Asafoetida)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)
  • 2 teaspoon Red Chilly powder can adjust this
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon juice or Amchur Powder optional
  • 4 cups water, adjust to soak dal one inch deep
  • salt as per taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash the chana dal thoroughly under the tap and soak it for about 20 minutes. Also wash the spinach leaves and chop them as desired.
  • While the dal is soaked, you may gather the ingredients and chop the onion, tomato, green chilly. Take spinach leaves and blend them with garlic to a smooth paste.
  • Drain water from chana dal and wash again. Add Spinach paste, onion, tomatoes, and raw chana dal to a pressure cooker. Add water to soak dal one inch deep (as spinach would also leave the water). Add salt and turmeric powder.
  • Boil for two whistles on full. Simmer for 5 min. Once it cools off, adjust water if needed. Check if dal is cooked. Add Desi Ghee Heeng Jeera Red chilly tempering to the dal. You may also add lemon juice or raw mango powder in the last.
  • The Delicious Dal palak is ready! Serve it with Paratha or rice.

Notes

  • The Chana dal shall be soaked ideally for at least 20 min. If you are in hurry you may skip that step. In that case, you may pressure cook on simmer for an extra 5-10 min.
  • The Moong Split Green Dal can be used instead of Chana dal. The recipe remains the same with no changes.
  • If you wish to use any other lentils, if it's not the whole lentils, you may keep it on simmer for a maximum of 5 min as split lentils tend to cook faster.
  • I temper the dal by heating red chili powder in ghee until mildly cooked (NOT BURNT) and then pouring it over the cooked dal just before serving. You need to be careful as the ghee is hot and would sizzle when poured over the dal.
  • You may also use finely chopped spinach leaves instead of spinach paste. That also tastes amazing. The leaves become tender when boiled with Dal and they give a great texture to Dal palak.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 bowl
Servings: 5
Amount per serving  
Calories 205
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.7g 10%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 8%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 51mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 5.4g 12%
Total Sugars 2.4g  
Protein 20.4g  
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 215mg 17%
Iron 14mg 77%
Potassium 581mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Keyword dal palak recipe, healthy low calorie recipes, high protein healthy recipes, lentil healthy recipes, Spinach healthy recipes