Dal Palak

Blessed are mothers, whose children eat at least one wholesome meal a day without fuss. That way, I have no problem with my younger one, she in fact loves her veggies and dals. Every day, while I  am still preparing the vegetable for the day, my younger one will come into the kitchen, pick up a cup and ask for her share of veggies. So that way I am really happy. Hope she continues this healthy eating habit. You never know when children’s taste buds take a turn.

But my elder one….She loves paneer paneer and paneer! She is happy to have paneer dishes everyday. And she just doesn’t seem to like her greens or dals. Making her eat paruppu sadam is really a demanding task. The other day, when I made Dal fry, I decided to mix it with rice and give it to her and she gladly finished the whole bowl. That’s when I realized that she needed more flavour and tang in the dal rather than the plain paruppu. Anyways, since that day, I make it a point to add a couple of tomatoes and give an aromatic tadka and dress up the plain old paruppu. This way it appeals to my lil ones palates. I also tried combining veggies like carrots, potatoes, green peas etc with the dal and both my kids enjoy having both the veggies and dal in this form. This Palak dal is absolutely the best way to feed my kids with some greens. How do you trick your children into eating something healthy and nutritious?

What you’ll need

1. Tuar Dal – ½ cup
2. Moong Dal – ¼ cup
3. Spinach/Palak – 1 Big Bunch
4. Green Chillies – 2 or 3
5. Ginger – 1 Inch Piece
6. Garlic – 2 Cloves
7. Onion – 1 Medium
8. Tomato – 2 or 3 Medium
9. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Coriander Leaves – for Garnishing

For Tempering

1. Oil/Ghee – 1 tbsp
2. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Dried Red Chilly – 1

Method

1. Wash and soak both dals for 15 to 20 minutes. The rinse again and cook in fresh water for 3 whistles or till the dals are cooked well and mushy.
2. Chop onion, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. Grate ginger. Slit green chillies.
3. Heat a Kadai with oil or ghee. Add cumin seeds and dried red chilly.
4. Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and turmeric powder one after the other.
5. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
6. Now add chopped tomatoes and fry till soft and mushy.
7. Add the chopped spinach and fry till the spinach has wilted completely and the moisture is absorbed.
8. Mash the cooked dal well and add it to the above mixture. Add salt to taste.
9. Add about 2 cups of water. Adjust water according to your required consistency.
10. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with warm rotis or plain rice.

Note:

You can add more spinach if you desire.

You can use only tuar dal or only moong dal.

Adjust the quantity of water according to your preference as some people like their dal to be thin and runny while others like it thick.

Linking to Show me your HITS - Greens being hosted here and also to Let's cook - Legumes and Lentils