Spinach Dal Fry

5 from 7 votes

Spinach Dal Fry is a hearty Indian lentil curry with toor & moong dal, spinach, & garlic tadka. Easy to make, comforting, and perfect with Jeera Rice.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Author: Nisha Kapur

Equipment

Ingredients

For Instant Pot Dal

3/4 cups toor dal / split pigeon peas
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
3 cups water you can add more later
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt

For Spinach Dal Fry

1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
1/8 tsp asafoetida, hing use gluten-free hing
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 inch piece ginger chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 green chilies chopped
2/3 cup red onion chopped
2 plum tomatoes chopped
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
50 grams baby spinach chopped
add cooked dal
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp amchur powder mango powder
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
add tadka

For Tadka (Tempering)

1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 dry red chilies
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

Instructions

Cook Lentils. Cook the soaked lentils with water, turmeric, and salt in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 8 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the Instant Pot, and whisk the dal until smooth and creamy.
Make Spinach Masala. In a pot, heat oil and add cumin seeds, followed by ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Add onions with salt and sauté until golden brown, then stir in tomatoes, a little more salt, and the ground spices. Stir, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Then, add the chopped spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the cooked dal, and bring to a boil. Turn off the stove and finish with garam masala, amchur, and fresh cilantro.
Prepare Tadka. In a small tadka pot, heat oil with hing until fragrant. Add garlic, dry red chilies, and Kashmiri chili powder, then cook briefly. Pour the sizzling tadka over the dal, mix well, and serve hot with rice.

Notes

This recipe was first published in January 2022 and has been updated with new photos, instructions, and helpful tips.

Soak & Prep - Wash and soak the lentils. While the lentils are soaking, prep the remaining ingredients for the spinach dal fry.
Onions & Tomatoes - Brown the onions nicely, which adds a ton of flavor to this recipe. Cook down the tomatoes so you end up with a paste-like consistency.
Tadka - Heat the oil until it reaches a smoking point. When the oil is hot, it results in a richer flavor in the tadka, making your dal taste even better. Be careful that you don't burn the garlic, though. Feel free to use ghee instead of oil for the tadka.

Nutrition