Litebite Recipes: All in Your Box 

                     Dal Palak

Posted on 8th December, 2009

Lunchbox Bites: All In Your Box 

                 

Palak or spinach when cooked with any pulses makes a meal power packed with nutrients. With the goodness of fibres in pulses and the minerals present in spinach it makes a prudent lunchbox option when served with palin rice or chapattis.

Recipe for a simple and quick dal palak which takes just about 10 minutes in a pressure cooker and saves a lot of time in the morning rush hours. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup de-skinned green gram (moong dal)
• 1 tomato
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (optional)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 green chilly
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• a pinch of asafoetida
• salt as per taste
• 2 tsp vegetable oil   
• 2 cups of water

Method: Wash the dal (pulses)and soak in water till other ingredients are ready. Peel and dice the onion. Cut tomato in small pieces. Wash the spinach leaves and shred it in bits. Use 1 tsp of fresh grated  ginger if you want to avoid garlic. 

Heat oil in a pressure pan and add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add onion and fry it till it becomes translucent in colour. Add tomato, ginger, all the dry spices, salt, water and asafoetida. Cook it for about 3 minutes and add dal and the spinach to it.  Pressure cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. If cooking in a normal vessel, cook till the dal is done.

Note:

• Serve with hot chapattis or plain rice. 
• Liquidised the above diah in a blender and enjoy a wholesome soup instead.
• Increase or decrease the quantity of water for thin or thick gravy respectively.

Healthy dal palak for a wholesome treat !