Moong Dal With Spinach
Moong dal with spinach
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong dal with skin
- 2 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tsp shredded ginger
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp salt adjust to taste
- 4 cups water
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp lemon juice adjust to your taste
Chaunk (seasoning):
- 2 Tbsp clarified butter ghee
- ½ tsp cumin seed Jeera
- Pinch asafetida hing
- 4 whole red chilies
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Wash dal changing water several times till water becomes clear.
- In pressure cooker put dal, spinach, ginger, turmeric, salt and water and close the cooker.
- Cook over medium high till dal comes to boil.
- Now reduce the heat to medium and let it boil for about seven minutes.
- Close the heat and let the steam escape before you open the pressure cooker.
- Adjust the consistency of dal to your desire taste, adding boiled water as needed and mix it.
- Add lemon juice, and garam masala.
Chaunk (seasoning):
- For seasoning or chaunk heat the ghee in small saucepan, add cumin seed wait until cumin seed cracks now add asafetida, and whole red chili.
- Stir for few seconds and add cayenne pepper close the heat and pour over dal.
This wholesome and comforting dish is a staple in Indian cuisine, packed with protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. In this Palak Dal Recipe, we’ll show you how to make Moong Dal with Spinach step by step, so you can enjoy its deliciousness and health benefits.
Step 1: Preparation of Ingredients:
Begin by gathering all the necessary ingredients for making Moong Dal with Spinach. Rinse the moong dal under cold water and soak it for about 30 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and chop them finely. tomatoes and ginger to prepare the flavor base for the dal. Having all the ingredients prepped and ready will streamline the cooking process.
Step 2: Cooking the Moong Dal:
In a pressure cooker or a pot, add the soaked moong dal along with water, turmeric, and salt. Pressure cook or simmer until the dal is soft and cooked through. Cooking the dal separately ensures that it’s tender and retains its shape when combined with the spinach later. Once the dal is cooked, set it aside while we prepare the spinach.
Step 3: Sauteing Aromatics:
In a separate pan, heat oil or ghee over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Next, add minced ginger, and cook until fragrant. The aroma of these spices will form the flavorful base of the Moong Dal with Spinach.
Step 4: Adding Spinach:
Once the aromatics are sautéed, it’s time to add the chopped spinach to the pan. Stir well to coat the spinach leaves with the aromatic spices. Cook the spinach for a few minutes until it starts to wilt and shrink in volume. The gentle cooking process allows the spinach to retain its vibrant green color and nutrients.
Step 5: Combining with Moong Dal:
Now, add the cooked moong dal to the pan with the spinach and spices. Stir gently to combine all the ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer for a few more minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together and the spinach to fully cook down. Adjust the seasoning with salt and add a pinch of garam masala for extra flavor if desired.
Step 6: Finishing Touches:
Before serving, garnish the Moong Dal with Spinach with freshly chopped cilantro leaves for a burst of freshness and color. You can also squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the dal to enhance its flavor. Serve the dal hot with rice, roti, or naan for a wholesome and satisfying meal.
Tips for Making Perfect Moong Dal with Spinach:
Soak Moong Dal: Soaking the moong dal beforehand helps reduce cooking time and ensures that it cooks evenly.
Use Fresh Spinach: Fresh spinach works best in this Palak Dal Recipe as it adds a vibrant green color and a tender texture to the dal.
Adjust Spice Level: Customize the spice level according to your preference by adjusting the amount of red chili powder or green chilies used.
Variations of Moong Dal with Spinach:
Creamy Moong Dal with Spinach: Stir in some coconut milk or cream for a creamy and indulgent version of the dish.
Spicy Moong Dal with Spinach: Add extra green chilies or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicier kick.
Moong Dal with Spinach and Tomatoes: Add diced tomatoes along with the spinach for a tangy twist to the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Moong Dal with Spinach:
Q: Can I use other lentils instead of moong dal?
A: Yes, you can use other lentils such as masoor dal or Toor dal if you prefer. Keep in mind that cooking times may vary.
Q: Can I make Moong Dal with Spinach ahead of time?
A: Yes, Moong Dal with Spinach can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop before serving.
Q: Is Moong Dal with Spinach gluten-free?
A: Yes, Moong Dal with Spinach is naturally gluten-free, making it suitable for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
What is moong dal?
Moong dal, also called mung dal, are tiny, yellow lentils that are hulled and split. They are a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine.
What does moong dal taste like?
Moong dal has a mild, nutty flavor and a delicate, slightly creamy texture when cooked.
Is moong dal easy to digest?
Yes, moong dal is generally considered one of the easiest lentils to digest. This makes it a great choice for people with sensitive stomachs.
Is moong dal healthy?
Moong dal is a nutritional powerhouse! It’s rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s also low in fat and cholesterol.
How can I cook moong dal?
Moong dal cooks quickly and easily. You can simply boil it with water or broth until tender. It’s also commonly pressure cooked for even faster preparation.
How do I use moong dal?
Moong dal is incredibly versatile. It’s used in soups, stews, dals (of course!), salads, and even sprouted for use in stir-fries or eaten raw.
Are there any benefits to sprouted moong dal?
Sprouted moong dal is believed to be even more nutritious than regular moong dal, as sprouting increases the availability of certain vitamins and minerals.
Does moong dal contain gluten?
No, moong dal is naturally gluten-free.
For more delicious Indian recipes, check out Manjula’s Kitchen: Chole Bhature, Naan, Paneer Tikka Masala, Aloo Paratha, Vegetable Biryani.
84 Responses
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Such a delicious dal! I’ve made it with both green split mung and yellow split mung. I used half ghee, half canola oil. Still excellent. Yet another recipe with perfectly balanced spicing. Thank you Manjulaji!
thanks, Asha
I have made this recipe many times and it is incredibly delicious. It is one of my family’s favorites. Thank you!
Ellen, Thank you
Thank you so much for sharing these delightful recipes! I also choose not to use any allium ingredients like garlic, onion, leeks, shallots, scallions, green onion, and chives. I substitute with aromatics like fennel bulbs and celery
Moong Dal with spinach is a great combination. I prepared it at home and like the taste very much. Thank you Manjula.
Dear Manjula Auntie, I cooked this dish a few day ago and my family asked to repeat it today — it is delicious indeed! I am so happy I discovered your website not long ago, and looking forward to cooking other recipes from here. Thank you so much for sharing!
Best wishes from Russia )))
Olga, Thank you for nice comment
This is such a wonderful recipe! I have slightly different method I would love to share. I fry in ghee some red onion garlic and ginger…once it’s good I stop the cooking with 4 cups of water so it doesn’t burn then I out dal and spinach and I cut up a small potato omg….the potatoes makes this even more filling and delicious! You must try! Everything else she does is same!!
This was absolutely delicious. I soaked lentils overnight and I used those in place of the Mung bean. I love your website so much and am so grateful for these nourishing and delicious recipes.
Amazing taste ♥ it totally!!!!!!!
I love your website……You teach in a very easy and simple way….i think i learnt cooking from scratch from your website only…..looking forward for more recipes….
I am going to give this a whirl today. Excited about it.
I made this tonight, and it was just lovely. I used chiles my friend grew in her garden and added some diced onions to the chaunk. I wish I had more!
Thank you manjula!
I love your site and love discovering your recipes! This one is delicious, and I intend to keep following your teaching and learn how to make these wonderful dishes.
Delicious! I will definitely make this one again- Thanks!!!
please tell me how i can make the moong dal without the use of a pressure cooker. I do not have one. Alos can I use red lentils for this recipe…thank you! I love to make your recipes esp. the aloo gobi!
would it be ok to make this with washed moong? I only have the kind with no skin in my pantry. will this make a big difference in the recipe?
Jen,
Washed moog will work.
Thanks! This will be dinner tonight. Can’t wait!
I tried this recipes, it very testy. Thank you so much
I’m going to try this tonight, especially after read Susan and parimala.gombi’s raving reviews : ) Thank you.
its very tasty my children likked it very much
I just made this recipe and it is absolutely delicious! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes. Your teaching style is very encouraging and easy to follow. Thank you for your wonderful videos!
Hi Mrs Manjula!
Your simple recipies and the wonderful concise style of teaching is just what is required to turn novices into suddenly confident cooks. Your Dahi Vada recipe is a winner. Will try the moong dal today. Thank you so much!
Wish you the very best in life!
Manjul Aunty – You are a great cook! I like your detailed instructions in every recipe. I have tried many of your recipes and they turned out really great. I am very very thankful to you and looking forward to many more recipes.
hiiii,,,manjula aunti…thank u sooo much 4 such a great recipe…..my inlaws jst dont stop praisin me since i started using ur recipes….my mumss soo happy…lol thanxxx
Manjula,
THANK YOU! I have been cooking Indian food for years, but I finally stumbled onto you page with videos which has enhanced my techniques and flavor of my dishes. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes and videos, my mouth drools everytime I visit your page.
Manjula Aunty,
Can you tell me what pressure cooker(brand) you are using for this recipe..i wanted to get a good pressure cooker. i have 4 quart presto aluminim pressure cooker. I really done like it. i like the one you are using. Can you give me tips to get a good one?
a nice variation on this recipe is to use green whole moong, and spice it up with habanero chilis to highlight the citrus flavors in this dish
Manjula –
We love your moong dal with spinach recipe. I use other dark greens, depending on what we have on hand but I am otherwise strict about the ingredients and amounts. No messing with perfection. 🙂
Your videos have made me a much better cook. Namaste.
Thanks Manjulaji, for this recipe and so many more i have tried from your website and very well done videos. If i need a recipe, i am sure to check out your website. Keep them coming. So many in my family now also use your recipes …with success each time.
Manjula, Thank you for your recipes and wonderful videos. How long do I cook Moong Dal if I don’t have a pressure cooker?
Manjula I love you!!!! You are a lifesaver. Healthy and amazing tasting meals everytime! Thank you for this website and for all your videos.
Hello Manjulaji,
For moong dal & palak, I have one doubt. Shouldn’t we soak moong dal (with skin) prior to cooking in pressure cooker.
Hi Aparna,
Not necessary
I don’t like moong daal very much. Can I used toor daal instead?
Hi Maya,
I have never cooked spinach and toor dal togather, but I think you should try it and it will be good.
I have cooked spinach with toor dal and it comes out just fine.
Thank you for your recipe and video. It was very helpful to see you using the pressure cooker. Namaste!
can i use fresh red chillies instead of dried?
Dear Manjula Auntie,
Could you please do Ras Puri and Wadoo? This is an alltime favorite at my house!
Hi Manjula,
One of my favorites from your recipes – along with the rajma.
Simple, straighforward and very tasty!
Thanks so much for your recipes.
James
Hello Manjula Aunty,
I love all of your recipies, and have almost tried them all.
I am a student, and have very little to work with, How do I make this Moong Dal and spinach recipie without using a pressure cooker? I really would love to try this recipie….
Moong dal is very small so you can cook it without a pressure cooker. It just takes a little longer (not much, maybe 20 minutes longer).
Moong dal is great to cook with when you don’t have a pressure cooker. You can pre-soak the dal for a few hours before making this recipe to reduce the cooking time.
P.S. use the split, yellow moong (or mung) dal.
it was great !!! enjoyed the moong palak daal. why don’t you give us South Indian recipes also.
thank you again
Thank u for this informative site.
Green Moong can make the dosa the same as the yellow moong
Thank you,
Renuka
Thank you for this informative site. This helps me alot. PLease let me
know if green moong dhal for Dosa will be the same as the yellow moong
Thank you.
Renuka
The photo of your blog has been stolen by someone at following link
http://mahapremz.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-post.html
Hi Manjula,
I just made your moong dal with spinach. It was delicious even though I say so myself! And so simple.
Thanks,
Liz
Hi Aunty,
I noticed you didnot use any onioins in any of your dish.Just curious that you dint eat onions or all recipes doesnot call for onions.:
rani
I love watching you. You are so loving and kind. I’ve wanted to try recipes I’ve enjoyed in restaurants but have no idea what these ingredients were and it was a little intimidating. It seems like i’m just sitting in the kitchen with you there. Lovely. Many homes in the United States do not have pressure cookers, including mine. Is there a way to make an adaptation to the recipe when it asks for pressure cooking?
Hi Corinne,
you do not have to use the pressure cooker it will just take little longer to cook.
A pressure cooker will cut cooking times by two-thirds.
Without one you will need to cook ingredients 3 times longer!
Kindest Regards,
Bryan
Hi Bryan
You are totally right… I try´d by my self and it´s really take about tree hours of cooking and waiting….
Barbara from
Copenhagen
A pressure cooker is a great addition to the kitchen, even for non-Indian dishes, but it’s a huge time saver when you need to cook dry lentils or beans. Look for a good quality one on-sale. Mine is made by Fagor (bought in the US at Kitchen Etc. before they went out of business) and have been very happy with it.
This recipe turned out really good!!!
Thanks a lot 🙂
thank you!!
hello anuty,
i must say ur wonderfull cook!!
I LOVE U AND UR RECIPES,
because of u i can cook all kind of indian dishes!!!!
u sound sooo sweet cookin and teachin us…
wish u were my mother!!!!!!! 🙁
luv u plz stay in touch!!
can whole moong dal be used instead of split moong dal? very practical recipes I must say
You can use whole moong dal soak it over night.
Dear Manjula,
Tried your receipe for Aloo & Baigan Veg. and it came out very well, nice and tasty. Tks.
Norma
hi
i had seen you on youtube and tried many of u’r recipes(aloo gobi,chole etc) each one came out great ,so
i am thrilled that you have your own site.Please keep doing videos they r the best !!!
thanks again for helping beginners like me…..god bless u .
I made the moong dhal and spinach dish and it turned out very well. I sent some to my neighbor and she loved it too – and she too is a good cook – but she liked your receipe Manuja. I told her about your site and I am sure she will be using it. Thanks so much.
wow i got bored reading recepies written in english.
they puts all in dark
Real thing is explained by u in video step – by – step
i never searched on youtube just my friend told me of course he searched
Thank You Dear Mam Manjula for the nice and delicious Moong dal spinach.
God Bless you with Good Health and long life.
thanks manjula aunty for your lovely moong dal recipe . i love moong dal . plz give me lots of moong dal recipes.
oh….I dint kno dat..Thanks.Finally i got out of this mystery.
Not all Indians eat onion and garlic. Look under FAQ section at top of page too.
By the way…Hats off to your recipes n style of cooking…
I wanted to ask you..Why you dont add onion in any of your recipes?I havent seen you adding onion in any of your sabji or dal.
Hello Angel, You can still cook without pressure cooker just have to cook for longer. After dal comes to boil turn the heat down to medium low and it should take about 25 minutes.
Hello,
Thank you so much for your site and all those information.
Please inform me what is the difference between yellow and green
moong dhal.
Especially for making Moong Dosa
hi, this looks lovely but i dont have a pressure cooker, what could i use.
thanks angel.
you need to put the weight on cooker
Dear Manjula,
Do I need to put weight on the cooker?
Rachita
manjula aunty
everything u make is so good….luv ur style of cooking!!!!
thanks
Dear Manjula,
I’ve been a vegetarian for the past few months and I found your site while looking for Indian vegetarian recipes. I tried this one earlier today, and it was really good!!! I did make a couple of modifications: I fried some onion along with the spices and towards the end I mix everything together and let it simmer for a few more minutes. Thanks so much for your videos
Thank u so much, Lem Tay.
Hi Sunita, and apologies to Aunty Manjula for jumping in here,
I imagine that Aunty probably blends her own Garam Masala. I’ve a recipe here that has served me well over the years. It only makes a small quantity, which is ideal as it should be made fresh – once ground, spices lose their qualities quite quickly.
1 tbsp (15ml) cardamom seeds
2″ cinnamon quill
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 nutmeg
Put all ingredients into spice or (clean) coffee grinder and blend until a fine powder is achieved. Store in a smallish airtight jar away from light and it should keep fresh for a few months.
Hints:
Try to find cardamom seeds already removed from their husks, as this will save your fingernails! Otherwise, use a mallet, stone pestle or other heavy object to bruise your green cardamom pods and then remove the seeds.
You will need to smash the nutmeg to get about 1/4 of it. Again a stone pestle is very handy – put the nutmeg in a plastic bag before whacking it and you’ll find it stops it flying all over the place. A hefty whack and it should break into a number of smaller pieces. Just approximate what would be about a quarter of a whole nut.
Be sure to crumble the cinnamon stick and have the nutmeg in smallish pieces before milling to avoid damaging your spice grinder.
You can add or subtract what you like – some people like adding a little coriander seed as this helps to “smooth” or even out the blend and harmonise the flavours more. I like the version above as the top aromatic notes is what I’m looking for to give a bit of final zest before a dish goes to the table.
Hi, soak the moong for six hours or more before cooking and cook for about 10 minutes.
I have whole moong dal, not split. Can I use that instead? Would I have to change the cooking time or anything?
Thanks!
Which brand garam masala do u use Aunty ?
I must be psychic! I just bought a ton of spinach with no clear idea of how I was going to use it. Thanks for supplying the answer. 🙂