This creamy spinach dal is packed with vibrant spices and bursting with flavor. A delicious vegan and gluten-free meal that everyone will love. The best part: it cooks up in one pot and is easy enough for a weeknight dinner!
A few weeks ago I realized I'd been feeling a little run down. For a while actually. At first I blamed it on the cooler temperatures and dwindling daylight, but then it occurred to me that it might be time to get my iron checked.
I've had issues with iron in the past, and I was experiencing pretty much the same symptoms, but somehow I let them develop for a few weeks (or maybe months). Every time my iron gets low I think I'll be prepared next time and know what to look for and all that, but somehow it just sneaks up on me!
So, PSA: if you're feeling crappy, get some bloodwork done!
Anyhow, while I was waiting for my results to come back, I went out and bought a five pound bag of spinach. A five pound bag of spinach takes up a lot of refrigerator space, which is something I never have much of to spare. So I figured it'd force me to get munching on some greens.
I thought a spinach dal recipe would be a nice way to get some cooked spinach in my belly.
A friend of mine who cooks up amazing Indian food told me a while back that my blog was in need of some recipes featuring pigeon peas. Pigeon peas are pretty high in iron too, and they just happen to make an excellent dal.
This dish has become a new favorite in my house. I've made it a handful of times so far while working my way through my spinach stash!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Canola oil. Feel free to substitute whatever high-heat oil you like to cook with. Peanut oil, vegetable oil, and coconut oil are all fine options.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Fresh ginger.
- Spices. We're using a handful of spices. You may need to visit an Indian market for the whole cumin seeds and black mustard seeds, but it's worth the trip! In addition, you'll need turmeric powder, cumin, and garam masala. Cayenne pepper can also be included if you'd like your dal to have some kick.
- Vegetable broth.
- Dried split pigeon peas. This is another ingredient that you may need to get at an Indian market. They might be labelled as toor dal. Make sure they're split and not whole, as whole pigeon peas take forever to cook. Yellow split peas or red lentils (masoor dal) can be substituted if pigeon peas aren't available, though you may need to adjust the cook time a bit.
- Fresh spinach. The recipe calls for fresh spinach leaves, but frozen spinach will also work if that's your preference. Use the same amount as is specified in the recipe and make sure to thaw it and squeeze out any excess water before adding it to your dal.
- Lemon juice.
- Salt and pepper.
- Fresh cilantro. This is for topping your spinach dal. Skip it if you're not a fan.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Sweat some diced onion in a bit of oil until it begins to soften, then add the garlic, ginger, cumin and mustard seeds. Sauté everything briefly.
- Stir in the broth, pigeon peas, and the rest of the spices. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook until the peas are tender, adding water if needed.
Tip: Cook the dal as long as needed to reach your desired consistency. The spinach dal shown in the photos was cooked for 40 minutes, but you can cook it longer if you prefer a creamier dal.
- Begin stirring in finely chopped spinach, a bit at a time. Let the dal continue to simmer until the spinach if fully wilted.
- Remove the pot from heat and season the dal with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Tip: You'll be adding a lot of spinach, but don't worry — it will cook down! Just keep in mind that you'll need to stir in a handful at a time, letting each handful wilt before you can add the next.
Serve your spinach dal with some basmati rice, roti, baked samosas and/or homemade naan bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is!
Yes! See the recipe card for instructions using an Instant Pot.
If you use the cayenne pepper it will add a bit of heat. Leave it out for a milder version. For extra spicy dal, use extra cayenne pepper or add a minced hot pepper such as a serrano along with the ginger and garlic.
More Recipes Like This
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Spinach Dal
This creamy spinach dal is packed with vibrant spices and bursting with flavor. The best part: it cooks up in one pot and is easy enough for a weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or high-heat oil of choice
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 4 cups vegetable broth (use 3 cups for the Instant Pot method)
- 1 cup dried split pigeon peas
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Pinch cayenne pepper, (optional) or to taste
- 8 ounces finely chopped fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving
- Cooked basmati rice
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
Stove Top Method
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Coat the bottom of a medium pot with oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds to the pot. Sauté everything for about 1 minute more, until the garlic is very fragrant and the cumin seeds begin to darken.
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Stir in the broth, pigeon peas, turmeric, ground cumin, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
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Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the pigeon peas are tender, about 40 minutes. Add water during cooking if the mixture becomes too dry.
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Stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, allowing each addition to cook down a bit before adding another handful.
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Allow the spinach to simmer until fully wilted, about 5 minutes.
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Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve with basmati rice and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
Instant Pot Method
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Press the "sauté" button on your Instant Pot. Add the oil to the pot.
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Add the onion. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent, stirring frequently.
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Add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Sauté everything with the onion for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
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Press the "cancel" button.
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Stir in the broth, pigeon peas, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, and cayenne pepper.
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Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the "sealing" position. Press the "pressure cook" or "manual" button and set the pressure to high. Set the Instant Pot to cook for 15 minutes. (Note 1)
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When the dal has finished cooking carefully more the valve to the "venting" position and allow the pressure to release completely.
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Remove the lid from the Instant Pot. The dal should still be simmering at this point.
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Begin stirring in the spinach, a handful at a time, allowing each handful to wilt before adding the next. If the dal cools down too much and stops simmering you can set the Instant Pot to the "soup/broth" setting just until the spinach has cooked.
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Allow the spinach to cook just until wilted, about 5 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice and season the dal with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve with basmati rice and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes
- Note that the actual cook time will be longer than 15 minutes because it will take a few minutes for the pressure to build before timed cooking starts.
- Nutrition information does not include rice or cilantro.
Shelley Celaya says
The sodium content for this dish is quite high. Is it due to the vegetable broth? The other ingredients seem to have low or no sodium. I will use a low sodium veg broth and add salt to taste. Thanks!
Alissa Saenz says
It is from the broth. A low sodium variety should do the trick! Enjoy!
Eilene says
Can I use cumin powder and powdered mustard. I also have to lower sodium and potassium. I will be using yellows split peas I am just getting into Indian food I I can’t take to much heat but this sounds like a good place to start!!!
Alissa Saenz says
The flavor will be a bit different, but you can. I'd add them at the end, just a bit at a time, and taste test, because the amounts will be less, and since there's already powdered cumin in the dish it could easily become overwhelming. You could try using low sodium broth or water to cut back on the sodium, and leave out the cayenne if you'd like to keep the dish mild. :) Enjoy!
Srinath says
After oil is heated you have to splutter mustard before all the ingredients get into the pot
The flavor from mustard enhances the dish
As an Indian we follow this procedure
Alissa Saenz says
Thank you for the tip! :)
Daniel says
I can’t seem to find split peas anywhere are they called something different?
Alissa Saenz says
Pigeon peas are sometimes called toor dal. You could also use split red lentils if you can't find them. :)
Serena says
We made this and it was amazing. We didn’t have lentils and some of the spices so we improvised with adding a can of Amy’s Lentil Dal soup and it was still delicious. Great comforting winter food. Will make it again and next time will have all the ingredients.
Alissa Saenz says
Yay! Way to improvise! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah says
Do you have instructions to make it in the instant pot?
Alissa Saenz says
Sorry, but I don't! I don't even have an Instant Pot, but I plan to get one in the new year and start sharing recipes. :)
Jennifer says
How is this reheated for lunch or leftovers? Can’t wait to make it!
Alissa Saenz says
It reheats great! I microwave it, but you could also use the stove. Enjoy!!
Marcia says
Hello! I've been wanting to make this recipe since it arrived in my Inbox! Just got the Pigeon Peas from Amazon so I'm making it for tonights dinner. I've got it going on low on the stove top, as stated in the directions. Currently, I've been cooking it for one-hour and 40 minutes because the Pigeon Peas are still hard as little rocks, not the least bit soft or even creamy. Can you give me an idea as to what might be wrong? I guess I'm going to have to add some more veggie broth because it's cooking it all away! It smells wonderful and the rest of the ingredients are fine, I just can't seem to get the the Pigeon Peas (they are dried and split as stated in your recipe) to soften. I've decided to refrigerate it and serve it for dinner on Sunday, hoping all the flavors merge and it gets even more flavorful. Thank you for all your incredible recipes!!!
Alissa Saenz says
Oh no! Do the peas have a "best before" date on them? Lots of times if they're old they'll take forever to cook. Or did you maybe add the lemon juice early? That will slow cooking down as well. I'm sorry to hear that and I hope it worked out!
Madeline says
This was so delicious!! I did use red lentils and paired it with an Argentinian Malbec. My significant other and I ate the whole thing in one night!
Alissa Saenz says
Sounds like a wonderful meal! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Rebecca says
Can you tell me approximately how many cups of spinach is 8 ounces? I tried to search online but found conflicting answers. Thanks!
Alissa Saenz says
I'd say it's about 3 cups if you lightly pack the spinach.
Ritesh Sharma says
Wow! Looks like so delicious. I am goona try this soon.
Thanks for sharing alissa
Alissa Saenz says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
MAD COOKS says
I've been making this using a different recipe which uses primarily turmeric for the spices. I'm currently simmering your version now. Smells delicious. I make my own garam masala because I've never found one I like. Looking forward to eating this! Just tasted it. 👍
Alissa Saenz says
I hope you enjoy it!
John Smith says
Hi, I gave it 5 stars but have not tried it yet but looks amazing.
Shouts from NZ!
One piece of constructive critisism. Why point shoppers to Amazon? Jeff Bezo's is famous for exploiting workers in China, famous also for not paying taxes, and is the 2nd richest man in the world. He is a dog.
Shirley says
This is good to know, thanks for your comment. I have never used Amazon and will not start.
Heather says
Delicious recipe, I used sweet lupin splits instead of the pigeon peas and it worked a treat
Jim R. says
I can't find black mustard seeds locally and don't want to order a large amount online. Can I substitute yellow mustard seeds and if so, how much? Thank you!
Alissa Saenz says
Sure! Yellow mustard seeds are pretty mild, so you'll want to use more. I haven't made this dish with yellow mustard seeds, but I think a full teaspoon of seeds would be a good place to start.
Christiane says
Great taste! Very comforting stew. I used split yellow peas and it worked out great.
Chloe says
I made the instant pot version and 15 minutes left the split peas very tough. I think it needed more like 22-25 minutes. I also found it to be over spiced.