Tuvar daal is the most favored Dal in the northern state of India that is called Uttar pradesh. It is usually cooked everyday because of its simple preparation, delicious taste, and the amount of protein.
Tuvar dal is not only important in Uttar Pradesh but is a large part of North Indian and South Indian cuisines too.
There are many variants of Tuvar Dal, and one of the most popular ones is the iron packed Spinach Dal. This recipe will teach you to make spinach dal that everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Tuvar dal/ split pigeon peas/yellow Arhar Dal
- 2 cup of spinach, properly washed and chopped
- 1 medium Tomato, chopped
- 2 Green Chillies / Hari Mirch chopped (or as per your taste)
- 1 tsp Oil or Desi Ghee
- 1 tsp of Red chili powder (or as per your taste)
- 1/2 tsp of Haldi Powder/Turmeric Powder
- 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice / Nimbu Ka Ras
- 4 tbsp of Fresh Coriander/ Cilantro/ Hara Dhaniya, chopped
- Salt as per your taste (I used 1 tbsp)
- 4 cups of water
For Tempering / Tadka / Waghara
1 tbsp of Clarified Butter / Desi Ghee
1 tsp of Cumin Seeds / Jeera
1/2 tsp of Mustard Seeds / Rai
A Pinch of Hing / Asafoetida
2,3 cloves garlic in small pieces, if you like the taste of garlic. This is optional.
2 Dried Red Chillies, Whole ( or as per your taste )
Instructions
- Wash the Tuvar Dal properly. Rinse it 2 to 3 times and drain the water
2. Add the dal in a pressure cooker with chopped spinach, chopped tomato, green chilies ( if you want it spicy), 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt, 3 cups of water, and 1 tsp of oil.
3. Pressure cook the dal until 1 whistle on high/medium(around the middle) heat. After the first whistle, switch to medium heat.
4. Wait for 2 whistles on medium heat and then turn the knob to medium/low ( or in between). Wait for 5 minutes and then turn off the flame. ( There will be a total of 3 whistles)
5. Around 10 minutes of pressure will be released automatically. If not, then wait for a few extra minutes.
Preparing to Temper(Tadka) :
6. On a slow heat setting, heat some Desi Ghee in a small tadka pan or a big metal Spoon (chamcha). Add cumin and mustard seeds. When it starts crackling, add the asafoetida/Heeng and whole red chilies (the chilies are optional for if you like it spicy).
7. Submerse the tempering in the dal, and make sure to cover it while submerging, and let it simmer.
Open it after a minute and then add lemon juice and 1 tbsp of chopped coriander.
The Delicious Palak Dal Tadka is ready! Congratulations!
Serving Suggestion- Serve with steamed rice and roti.
