Dal Palak with Tuvar Dal

Dal Palak ....... Prepared with Tuvar Dal for a change and seasoned with lots of Onion and Garlic ..... Yummy .....

Dal palak as is the name is an awesome combination of lentil with leafy green / palak / spinach that is an all in one dish that goes very well with roti / paratha / poori / rice / pulav etc. An easy dish to make but that which has abundance of health benefits in it. The combination of lentil and greens ie. protiens and fiber along with the goodness of vitamins and minerals in all makes this dish a very nutricious one. The dish when tempered with onion ~ garlic ~ spices adds on to the flavour by making it more aromatic and appealing to the taste buds. The goodness of ghee if added along when tempering makes it that much more tastier. Palak being a versatile dish can be combined with many ingredients and churned out into variety of dishes. The combination of dals with greens in right consistency, by providing it right mushiness without turning out the dish into a gooey (over cooked) blob. A very comfort food as a side dish with roti / paratha or also a main dish with rice, anyway you serve it, is bound to appease the taste. 

Pick and clean palak leaves trimming off the stems. Chop the palak finely and wash in plenty of water and put it in a colander for the excess water to drain off. You should have in all about 4-5 cups of chopped palak. Wash and put one cup of tuvar dal in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Top it up with washed and drained chopped palak pieces. Pressure cook on medium heat to one whistle and then 3 whistles on low heat. 

Remove and keep aside for the pressure to fall on its own. Once the pressure drops and you are able to remove the lid, pour out the cooked ingredients into a thick bottomed vessel. Mash the dal and paak a little bit with a potato masher or a butter milk churner to get a thick uniform consistency. Add in one cup of water, salt to taste and bring to a boil. 

Tempering : Heat 3 tblsp of oil in a small pan, when hot add in 10-15 peeled garlic cut into two lengthwise if large in size and fry till the colour changes. Now add in finely chopped one large sized onion and further fry till golden. When onion turns almost golden add in the following powder one by one quickly ~ ½ tsp haldi (turmeric) powder, 1 tblsp red chilly powder, 1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, pinch of fennel powder and fry for a minute. Pour this over the palak~dal mixture.

Mix the dal and tempering well, add in one large tomato cut into medium sized cubes and bring all to a boil. Simmer the Dal ~ palak for 5-10 minutes. Remove, cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes for the flavours to seep into the curry. Dal ~ Palak is ready. Serve it as an accompaniment with Rice, roti, paratha, pulav or any other dish of your choice. Tastes lovely with any dish. A simple but wholesome and tasty dish that can be served during parties or when you have guest over or during get togethers.