Lasuni Dal Palak - 1

We have always loved the very aromatic Lasuni Dal Palak in restaurants in India. When we moved to US, I tried different recipes to get the same strong aroma of garlic to my dals/gravies. Somehow I could not reproduce the same. Then I read about this recipe where garlic is used in 3 ways on some blog (for the life of me, I am not able to locate that recipe, I will update this post with the link when I find it). I made few twists to it over the years and finally I came up with this recipe which we absolutely enjoy. Garlic is added to the dal in 3 stages – once while cooking dal, then with onions and then again in a seasoning which is poured on top. This is not the regular lasuni dal palak but a mix of that and the Andhra style spinach pappu. Finally I have a recipe of spinach dal which no one complains about. When I make this, I make some extra rice since everyone at my home seems to enjoy this very much.

Some variations of this dish – Nupur’s Lasuni dal palak , Sailu’s Lasooni dal palak , a simpler dal palak by me .

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Pictorial: Cook dal with spinach, garlic, turmeric. Heat oil, add cumin, urad dal, methi seeds. Then add onions, tomato and fry. Add dal, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt. Cook. Slightly crush garlic and chop. Make a seasoning of mustard, curry leaves, garlic and pour over dal.

Spinach Dal with Garlic (Lasuni Dal Palak)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup toor dal
  • 2 cups packed spinach
  • A pinch turmeric
  • 2 big cloves garlic
  • 1 tea spn cumin powder
  • 1 tea spn chilli powder
  • Salt

Seasoning 1 :

  • 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tea spn methi fenugreek seeds
  • 1/2 tea spn urad dal
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 1/2 cup tomato
  • 1 tea spn chopped garlic
  • 1 tea spn chopped ginger
  • Oil

Seasoning 2:

  • 1 tea spn crushed and then chopped garlic
  • 1 tea spn mustard seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • Ghee

Instructions

  • Pressure cook toor dal, chopped spinach with garlic, turmeric, adding enough water till dal is cooked.
  • Mash it well and keep aside.
  • Heat a little oil and add cumin seeds, methi seeds, urad dal.
  • When they are fried, add ginger, garlic, onion.
  • Fry till onions are brownish.
  • Add tomato and cook till it is mushy.
  • Now add the cooked dal, cumin powder, chilli powder, salt.
  • Add enough water to make it a thick dal.
  • Bring it to bowl and take off the heat.
  • Separately, heat ghee and add mustard seeds.
  • When they start popping, add garlic, curry leaves.
  • When garlic turns brownish, pour the seasoning over the dal and close the lid immediately.
  • Serve hot with rice and a dollop of ghee.

Notes

Spinach Dal with Garlic (Lasuni Dal Palak)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup toor dal
  • 2 cups packed spinach
  • A pinch turmeric
  • 2 big cloves garlic
  • 1 tea spn cumin powder
  • 1 tea spn chilli powder
  • Salt

Seasoning 1 :

  • 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tea spn methi fenugreek seeds
  • 1/2 tea spn urad dal
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 1/2 cup tomato
  • 1 tea spn chopped garlic
  • 1 tea spn chopped ginger
  • Oil

Seasoning 2:

  • 1 tea spn crushed and then chopped garlic
  • 1 tea spn mustard seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • Ghee

Instructions

  • Pressure cook toor dal, chopped spinach with garlic, turmeric, adding enough water till dal is cooked.
  • Mash it well and keep aside.
  • Heat a little oil and add cumin seeds, methi seeds, urad dal.
  • When they are fried, add ginger, garlic, onion.
  • Fry till onions are brownish.
  • Add tomato and cook till it is mushy.
  • Now add the cooked dal, cumin powder, chilli powder, salt.
  • Add enough water to make it a thick dal.
  • Bring it to bowl and take off the heat.
  • Separately, heat ghee and add mustard seeds.
  • When they start popping, add garlic, curry leaves.
  • When garlic turns brownish, pour the seasoning over the dal and close the lid immediately.
  • Serve hot with rice and a dollop of ghee.

Notes

Kale and white bean soup - 16

Have you caught up with Kale craze yet? I have been reading about Kale so much in blog world and watching it on TV regularly these days. First time I tried making something with Kale, no one wanted to even try it. I tried few different things and this soup is one dish that we all enjoy very much. I make these kind of hearty soups regularly for V’s and Ishaan’s lunch boxes. Even the little one enjoys few spoonfuls of these soups.

Wiki says – Kale is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms of vegetables.Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and rich in calcium. Kale is a source of two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin.Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.

This soup is derived from white bean vegetable chili that I posted a while ago.

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Pictorial: Remove the thick stems of kale and cut into small pieces. Chop the vegetables and fry them in little oil. Add beans, kale, spices and water or stock. Cook till done.

Kale and White Bean Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white beans
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 1 tea spn chopped ginger
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tbl spn lemon juice
  • 1/2 tea spn coriander powder
  • 1/2 tea spn cumin powder
  • 1/4 tea spn pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 2 cups water or vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Soak white bean in water overnight.
  • Remove the thick center stems of kale and chop into small pieces.
  • Heat little oil and add onion, celery, carrots, ginger and fry for few minutes. (I make this directly in pressure cooker).
  • Now add kale and fry for few seconds.
  • Add soaked beans, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt.
  • Pour in water or stock, pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
  • When it is cooled down, add lemon juice, pepper.
  • Serve hot.