Instant Pot Spinach Dal Fry recipe is prepared with spinach and lentils. This comforting and healthy dish is also known as Palak Dal.
Whenever I return from vacation, I crave dal, and not just any dal, dal with tadka (tempering of spices). Dal is simply one of the healthiest, most nutritious, and most comforting meals you can have during the cold winter months.
What is Spinach Dal Fry?
Dal is a lentil and a staple in every Indian household. You won't find a single Indian person who hasn't had dal because it's just a part of our identity. There are many different varieties of dal and my favorite type of lentil is toor dal which is also known as tuvar dal, arhar dal, and yellow split pigeon peas.
Spinach Dal Fry is essentially sauteed onions, tomatoes, and spinach cooked down and then added to cooked lentils. It's absolutely delicious and goes perfectly with white basmati rice.
My version of Spinach Toor Dal Fry is made with toor dal, however you can also make this dish with yellow moong dal.
Why You'll Love this Spinach Dal Fry recipe
- Comforting
- Nostalgic
- Warming on a cold day
- Healthy & Nutritious
- Quick Easy Meal
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
Ingredients you’ll need for Spinach Dal Fry:
Toor Dal: You will need yellow pigeon split peas or toor dal for this recipe. You may also use moong dal instead of toor dal.
Spinach: You'll need freshly chopped baby spinach.
Spices: Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Cumin Seeds, Coriander Powder, Red Chili Powder, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, Amchur Powder, Asafoetida (hing), and Salt.
Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies, Onions, and Tomatoes: The most basic ingredients for any Indian dish.
How to make Spinach Dal Fry recipe step by step?
Prep
1. Soak the lentils in enough water so they're submerged. Drain and rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Add the soaked lentils along with 3 cups of water.
2. Close Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
3. In the meantime, chop the ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Slice the green chilies (or you can chop too).
4. Set aside the dry spices - asafoetida (hing), cloves, and cumin seeds.
Cook Spinach Dal Fry
1. Heat up a dutch castiron on medium heat, once hot, add oil followed by the dry spices - hing, cloves, and cumin seeds. Saute for 45 seconds.
2. Add the onions, season with a little salt to taste, and cook for 5-6 minutes until slightly brown and caramelized. This brings out the flavor of the dal so make sure you cook the onions properly.
3. Add the tomatoes.
4. Immediately add the following spices - a little salt to season the tomatoes, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and cumin powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add a ¼ cup of water so the spices don't burn and cook down the tomatoes for another 3-4 minutes.
6. In the meantime, chop 5 ounces of baby spinach. I simply bought a 5-ounce bag from Whole Foods.
7. Check on the dal cooking in the Instant Pot. Stir it.
8. Back to the tomatoes - they've formed a paste-like consistency.
9. Now add all the chopped spinach. This will take a minute or two to cook down.
10. This is what you should have.
11. Add all the cooked dal to the spinach mixture.
12. Stir.
Prepare Tadka
1. In a small tadka pot, heat up oil, and then add Kashmiri red chili powder - this adds color and smokiness, but no spice. Alternatively, you may also use paprika.
2. Add tadka to the spinach dal.
3. Add garam masala and amchur (mango) powder.
4. Garnish with fresh cilantro, onions, and achaar. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the Spinach Dal Fry recipe with Jeera Rice or plain basmati rice along with papad, achaar (Indian pickle), and kachumber salad.
Lentils also pair well with other Jeera Aloo or Bhindi Fry along with roti (whole-wheat flatbread).
For a healthier option, you can use brown rice or quinoa.
Tips on making Spinach Dal Fry recipe
This dish is a 2-step process, but trust me the results are well worth it. You will need to first cook the dal in the Instant Pot or if you prefer, use a Pressure Cooker.
Then prepare the masala mixture on the stovetop and add the cooked dal to the masala. That's it!
- Soak the lentils for 30 minutes in water.
- Cook the lentils in the Instant Pot.
- On the stovetop, make your masala mixture using ginger, garlic, green chilies, onions, tomatoes, and of course, spinach.
- Add the lentils to the spinach mixture. Adjust water as needed.
- Finish it off with tadka - don't omit this step because it makes all the difference.
FAQ
This recipe is already vegan.
Sure. Just make sure to use gluten-free hing (asafoetida). The rest of the ingredients are gluten-free.
Spinach Dal Fry is also referred to as Palak Dal Fry.
More Dal Recipes!
- Dal Makhani
- Green Moong Dal (Sabut Moong Dal)
- Papad wali Dal
- Instant Pot Toor Dal
- Green Moong Dal Khichdi
Pin & Enjoy!
Recipe Card
Spinach Dal Fry
Vegan, Gluten-free, Healthy-ishEquipment
Ingredients
for instant pot lentils
- 1 ½ cups toor dal / split pigeon peas
- 3 cups water you can add more later
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
for stovetop cooking process
- 1 ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida, hing, use gluten-free hing
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 inch piece ginger, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 green chilies, slit
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 5 ounces baby spinach, chopped
- add dal
- add ½ cup water, up to 1 cup if need be
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder, mango powder
- add tadka
for tadka / tempering
- 1 ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Instructions
Prep
- Soak the lentils in enough water so they're submerged. Drain and rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Add the soaked lentils along with 3 cups of water.
- Close Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- In the meantime, chop the ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Slice the green chilies (or you can chop too).
- Set aside the dry spices - asafoetida (hing), cloves, and cumin seeds.
Cook
- Heat up a dutch castiron on medium heat, once hot, add oil followed by the dry spices - hing, cloves, and cumin seeds. Saute for 45 seconds.
- Add the onions, season with a little salt to taste, and cook for 5-6 minutes until slightly brown and caramelized. This brings out the flavor of the dal so make sure you cook the onions properly.
- Add the tomatoes.
- Immediately add the following spices - a little salt to season the tomatoes, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and cumin powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add a ¼ cup of water so the spices don't burn and cook down the tomatoes for another 3-4 minutes.
- In the meantime, chop 5 ounces of baby spinach. I simply bought a 5-ounce bag from Whole Foods.
- Check on the dal cooking in the Instant Pot. Stir it.
- Back to the tomatoes - they've formed a paste-like consistency.
- Now add all the chopped spinach. This will take a minute or two to cook down.
- This is what you should have.
- Add all the cooked dal to the spinach mixture.
- Stir.
Prepare Tadka
- In a small tadka pot, heat up oil, and then add Kashmiri red chili powder - this adds color and smokiness, but no spice. Alternatively, you may also use paprika.
- Add tadka to the spinach dal.
- Add garam masala and amchur (mango) powder.
- Top over rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro, onions, and achaar. Enjoy!
Megna says
I tried it today and my husband complimented that it was the best dal he has ever tasted so far and it’s so easy..Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us Nisha, you have made a big difference to our lives..You are doing a great job. Thanks once again !
Vidhi says
This is such an easy and delicious recipe!!!
Reena says
I tried this recipe and it was really yummy and super comforting! I loved adding the amchur to bring out the tanginess and cutting the sweetness of the tomatoes. The dal tasted even better the next day. Thanks for sharing your recipe, Nisha!
Shravya says
Was very easy and fool proof recipe. Turned out very yum. Thanks for these awesome recipes