Palak (Spinach) Mung Dal

Lentils/Dals are a staple at my place. Add in a few vegetables and it turns into a hearty, complete meal. Any vegetable goes well - green peas, methi or fenugreek leaves, green onions, carrots, cauliflower, leeks. Some also call it as Sabz Daal, when cooked with many vegetables. I like my Daal with the flavor of just one vegetable. For today, lets taste the most nutritious greens, Palak or Spinach. Slurp it like a soup with a dash of lemon or enjoy it with rice.

Ingredients:
Chopped Palak/Spinach Leaves (tightly packed) - 3 cups
Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic/Lahsun - 2 big cloves
Green Chilies - 4
Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

How to cook Spinach Dal:

• Wash mung dal well. Add turmeric and cook it with 2 - 3 cups water until soft. You can use any other dal like Toor/Arhar Dal, Masoor Dal or a combination of dals.
• Use a salad spinner to remove the water of washed spinach leaves. Or place the washed leaves in a colander or a strainer. Medium chop spinach leaves.
• Finely chop onions and garlic. Medium chop green chilies. Add more or less green chilies to suit your taste.
• Garlic aids in digestion of any lentils or beans. If you don't like garlic, use asafetida/hing.
• Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions and sauté until onions soften. Now add garlic and green chilies. Sauté until onions turn slightly brown. Add spinach, coriander powder and cumin powder. Sauté for a couple minutes until spinach leaves wilt.
• Lastly, add cooked mung dal, aamchur and salt. At this point, add about 1/2 cup water and cook it covered until spinach is fully cooked. Add more water depending on how thick or thin you want the dal to be.

Garnish Palak Dal with cilantro leaves and serve it with rice and/or roti. Sprinkle some lemon juice for an additional tang.