Dal Palak
Lentils cooked with spinach and a garlic tempering.
Ingredients
- 200 g Toor dal (split pigeon pea)
- 250 g Spinach
- 1 Tomato
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 Dried chilies
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 g Basmati rice
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Rinse the dal and chop the spinach, tomato, and garlic.
- Simmer the dal with the tomato and turmeric until soft, then stir in the spinach.
- Sizzle the cumin, garlic, and dried chili in ghee until golden.
- Pour the tempering over the dal and stir through.
- Serve with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Dal Palak
Dal palak is a homely Indian lentil dish that folds spinach into cooked toor dal, marrying two staples into one nourishing pot. It belongs to the broad family of everyday dals eaten across India, but the addition of greens makes it lighter and greener-tasting than its butterier cousins. The method is refreshingly direct: the dal simmers with tomato and turmeric until soft, the chopped spinach wilts straight in, and a quick tempering of cumin, garlic and dried chili in ghee is poured over at the end.
That final tadka is what lifts the dish — the sizzling garlic and toasted cumin cut through the mellow lentils and earthy spinach with a jolt of aroma. It tastes clean and savory rather than rich, with the spinach adding a faint mineral note and the tomato a little brightness. Light on calories yet filling, it is a smart everyday main served simply with rice, and its combination of fiber, greens and gentle spicing makes it an easy choice when you want something wholesome without much effort or fuss.
Dal Palak: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Dal Palak?
A serving has about 487 calories — 17.7g protein, 85.3g carbs, 8.7g fat, 10.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Dal Palak gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Dal Palak has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Dal Palak dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Ghee. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Dal Palak take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 11 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Dal Palak make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.