Chana Dal with Spinach

A wholesome, gently spiced chana dal dish by Roopa Gulati, featuring tender split chickpeas simmered with garlic, turmeric, and fresh spinach for a nourishing, comforting meal.
Cooking Time
210
Portions
1

Ingredients

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  • g Ghee or 5tbsp Sunflower Oil
  •   tsp Cumin Seeds
  •   Dried Kashmiri Red Chilli
  •   Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
  • g Ginger Root, peeled and finely grated
  •   Green Chillies, deseeded and chopped
  •   Tomato, diced

  • 1

    Step 1

    Discard the soaking water from the Bengal gram and transfer the dal to a pressure cooker. Cover with 4cm water. Add the turmeric and cook under pressure for 30 minutes, until the gram is soft and has broken down. Roughly crush the dal with a potato masher.
  • 2

    Step 2

    Aim for the consistency of thick soup. If it looks a bit watery, boil the dal for a few more minutes without any pressure.
  • 3

    Step 3

    Heat a sturdy, dry pan on a high heat and add the spinach. Cook, stirring all the time, until the leaves start to wilt. Scoop the leaves into a colander set over a bowl and leave to cool. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze any excess liquid out of the leaves with the palms of your hands, then roughly chop them
  • 4

    Step 4

    For the tarka, heat the ghee or oil in a small pan on a medium–high heat and add the cumin seeds and Kashmiri chilli until the cumin releases its nutty fragrance and the chilli swells and becomes darker.
  • 5

    Step 5

    Turn down the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger and green chillies and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the diced tomato and cook for another 2 minutes, until softened. Tip this tarka into the hot dal, season generously with salt, then stir in the chopped spinach. Reheat and finish with the lime juice before serving straight away.

Ingredients

  • 50 g Ghee or 5tbsp Sunflower Oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 Dried Kashmiri Red Chilli
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
  • 30 g Ginger Root, peeled and finely grated
  • 2 Green Chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 Tomato, diced

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