Palak Dal a savory Indian staple

(Palak Dal is a lentil-spinach dish that is a staple of Indian cuisine)

Dal is an Indian comfort food made with lentils that can be thick like porridge or soupy like sambar. There are so many ways to make it, as unique as the cook creating it.

I love dal, an Indian staple. It's great with naan, roti or flatbread, and can be served over rice for a satisfying meal. Lately I have been making it and serving it with Tomato Rasam, a spicy tonic of a soup, to start.

This recipe for Palak Dal, a mix of lentils and spinach, is from Heidi Swanson's beautiful blog, 101 Cookbooks, which is a cooking journal of mostly vegetarian recipes with mouth-watering, lavish photography. Check it out, if you haven't already. The recipe comes from Anamika Khanna of Kasa, a restaurant in San Francisco, which Heidi says she visits often.

I changed it up a bit, using chana dal, split yellow lentils, instead of white urad dal. I think I could have added more spinach to the mix as well, which I added toward the end of cooking. Either way, it is a scrumptious recipe I will make again and again.

Palak Dal

1. 1 cup urad daal, picked over and rinsed
2. 6 cups water, plus more if necessary
3. 1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped
4. 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
6. 2 hot green chili peppers, minced
7. 2 tomatoes, chopped
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the butter mixture:

1. 2 tablespoons butter or Smart Balance
2. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3. 1 teaspoon pure red chili powder
4. Pinch of asafetida
5. Salt to taste
6. Juice of 1/2 a lemon
7. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
   

• In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the daal and water.
• Bring to a boil, then add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, 3/4 of the green chilies, and all of the tomatoes.
• Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lentils are extremely soft. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process to keep the lentils soupy.
• After an hour and a half, stir in the salt.
• In a separate pan, heat the butter and cumin and fry until the cumin seeds start to pop.
• Add the red chili powder and asafetida; fry for another 30 seconds.
• Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes.
• Taste, and season with more salt if needed.
• Add the lemon juice.
• Serve topped with the cilantro and the remaining green chilies.

Serves 4-6 with rice or roti.