Spinach Dal

(Palakura Pappu)

Ingredients for boiling:

Toor Dal-1 cup
Chopped spinach or Palakura – 1 cup
Green chillies – 4 sliced into halves
One finely chopped onion
Tamarind pulp-1-2tablespoons depending on the sourness of the tamarind
Salt-1 tablespoon
Chilli powder-1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
Water-sufficient to cook the daal finely

For Seasoning:

Dry red chilli-2 (cut into pieces)
Garlic-4-5 cloves
Curry leaves-8
Mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
Jeera-1/2 teaspoon
Urad dal-1/4 teaspoon
Channa or gram dal-1/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds-1/4 teaspoon
Oil-2 tablespoons
Ghee-2 tablespoons

Method:

1. If you want to pressure cook, take all the ingredients (mentioned under boiling) into the cooker and cook until the dal become soft.

2. If you are cooking in a vessel, first cook the dal till it becomes soft. Then add onions, green chillies, spinach, and tamarind pulp and let it cook for a while. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt.

3. For seasoning, take a pan and heat the oil and ghee in it. Add dry red chilli pieces and garlic cloves and fry them for a while.

4. Now add mustard seeds, jeera, fenugreek seeds, channa dal, urad dal and curry leaves. Add the seasoning to the cooked dal.

5. Let the dal cook for two more minutes after seasoning to get a tasty dal and serve with rice or chapathis.

Note: To clean the spinach, wash it with cold salted water.