Spinach Dal is a flavorful blend of spinach, yellow lentil and Indian spices made quickly in the instant pot.
This one pot dal recipe makes the rice along with the dal using Pot-in-Pot (PIP) method and a perfect meal in under 40 minutes.
Dal is an essential part of Indian cooking. There are lots of dals prepared in households, restaurants and events each day. Handvo, idli, dal makhani and quinoa bisibelebath are some popular ways to enjoy dal.
From all the different dals, Moong Dal is one that most people have a love or hate relationship with. The melt in the mouth texture and no real taste are it's popular characteristic. Because of these, it is able to take on the flavors of the masalas that go into it.
From the regular tadka dal to Quinoa Khichdi and from Sookhi Moong Dal to Kale Dal there are several ways to enjoy moong dal. These come in handy to include the lentil in daily cooking.
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What is Spinach Dal
Dals are popular all over India. Cooked in several ways with different ingredients, methods and add-ins; there would not be a single household that does not have their favorite way to cook dals.
A popular Indian dish, spinach dal is a blend of spinach leaves (palak) and yellow lentil (dal). Seasoned with a few spices and made with aromatics; this dal is perfect for a meal with parathas, naan or steamed rice.
This dal is made differently in North India and South. The Northern part of India calls it Dal Palak, we Gujaratis call it Palak Mag ni Dal and it is known as Palakura Pappu in Andhra Pradesh in Southern India, and it is called Paruppu Keerai Masiyal in Tamil Nadu.
This recipe is easy to make using the instant pot and in the pressure cooker. However, I like to use the instant pot and use it to cook the rice along with the dal.
Why this recipe works
- It is a comforting meal at it's best.
- The recipe cooks the spinach dal and rice at one go.
- The recipe is nostalgic; just like my grandmother made it.
- It is easy to make the recipe Vegan and gluten-free.
- This also makes a perfect weeknight meal recipe.
- The recipe makes spinach dal and rice in under 40 minutes.
- We can make the recipe ahead of time.
Pot-in-Pot method
The instant pot is loaded with features. With an easy way to make yogurt, ferment batter, proof dough for bread to steaming, cooking and sautéing; it is great at all these and more.
One of the greatest feature of instant pot is pot-in-pot (PIP); a method that allows us to cook two things with similar cook time in one go.
I like to sauté the aromatics and add the dal in the base of the instant pot and then use a trivet to place a bowl of uncooked rice on top.
And then when we start the cooking cycle, the rice steams well while the dal cooks underneath. This is a true time saver and we do not need too many pans to make this, especially on busy weeknights.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the Dal
- Yellow Lentils: I like to use yellow lentils (moong dal) in the recipe. These cook easily and give us a melt in the mouth consistency on cooking. However, substitute with dals like tuvar or masoor if you like.
- Spinach: Baby spinach is great in the recipe. They tend to be soft and blend well with the lentils. If using large spinach leaves, make sure you chop them well. Their hardy stems tend to remain hard on cooking. Fresh spinach is perfect for the recipe.
- Aromatics: The popular Indian aromatics are great in the recipe. Garlic, ginger, green chili and onions are used. I like to use minced aromatics, grated works well too. Skip the alliums for a version free from them. Moreover, garlic is great in the tadka for the added flavor.
- Tomatoes: I like to add some diced tomato in the recipe. They add some tang and flavor to the dal. Use fresh or canned tomatoes for the recipe.
- Whole Spices: Mustard seeds and cumin seeds are great for the dal. Together these help bring in flavor and texture. Try not to skip these. Plus, we also add asafetida and curry leaves. These are easy to find in most Indian stores or online.
- Spice Powders: The spice powders include turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. These are also easy to get from the Indian store. Try and include these for the perfect flavor. I also add some red chili powder in the tadka.
- Ghee: I like to temper the dal and the tadka in ghee. This gives a great earthy flavor to the dal. However, use oil for a Vegan version.
For the Rice
- Rice: White Basmati rice is great to enjoy with the prepared spinach dal. It is okay to use any short rice as well. Brown rice will not really work here as the time it takes to cook will make the dal too mushy.
- Spices: I like to add some cumin seeds, salt and cinnamon sticks for flavor. However, these can be completely skipped or substituted with whole spices of your choice.
- Ghee: Add some ghee to flavor the rice. However, it is okay to use oil or skip these completely too.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Wash the lentil till the water runs clean. Drain and set aside.
2- Set the Instant Pot mode to 'Sauté' and Normal. Add ghee and let it heat.
3- Then add mustard seeds, asafetida and cumin seeds.
4- Once the seeds pop, add garlic, green chili, ginger and curry leaves.
5- Once the raw flavor vanishes, add the onions. Let the onions cook for 5-6 minutes till it is soft.
6- Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
7- Mix and let the tomatoes become soft.
8- Then deglaze the pot by adding 3 cups water.
9- Add in the lentils and mix well.
10- Place a trivet in the center of the Instant Pot.
11- Wash the rice till the water runs clean. Drain and add 1 ½ cup water, cumin seeds, cinnamon and ghee.
12- Place the bowl on the trivet.
13- Close the lid and press 'Cancel'. Press 'Pressure Cook' and set time to 6 minutes. The pressure should be set to high and the valve to sealing position. Let the lentils and rice cook. When the Instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Move the vent to venting and remove the remaining pressure.
14- Open the Instant Pot and remove the insert with the rice.
15- Set the mode to 'Sauté' and add washed spinach.
16- Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
17- Then turn off the instant pot and add lemon juice and cilantro.
18- To make the tadka; in a pan heat 1 teaspoon ghee.
19- Then add 1 clove of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon red chili powder. Let the raw flavor vanish.
20- Finally, add that on top of the dal and serve with the steamed rice.
Expert Tips and Notes
- To make the recipe mild: To make the recipe mild, remove the seeds and membranes of the green chili. Also swap the spicy Thai chili with milder chili. If you want it completely mild, leave out all the chili.
- Wash the dal well: It is a popular observation that a scum develops on the dal while cooking. To avoid that, wash the dal a few times till the water runs almost clear.
- Making Vegan spinach dal: It is easy to make the dal Vegan; simply swap the ghee with oil to make the dal Vegan. Other ingredients are naturally Vegan.
- Making the spinach dal gluten-free: The only ingredient with gluten in the recipe is asafetida. Use pure asafetida or leave it out to make the recipe gluten-free.
- Swapping the lentils: It is great to use lentils that will cook to a creamy consistency. Moong dal, tuvar dal and masoor dal work the best. Try and leave out lentils with husk like black dal. Moreover, leave out dals like urad and chana dal. These tend to remain hardy even after cooking.
- Using other greens: While spinach is the most popular green in these recipes, other ones work too. Mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, baby kale or a combination of these makes a great dal recipe.
Making this without Instant Pot
This recipe of spinach dal is easy to make without the instant pot too. To do so, simply heat ghee in a pressure cook base. Then add the whole spices, sauté the aromatics and add the tomatoes.
Once these cook, add the washed lentils and pressure cook them for 3 whistles. Then as the pressure releases, open the pressure cooker and add the spinach. Cook on medium flame till the spinach wilts and add the tadka.
Plus, cook the rice separately using another pressure cooker or make these instant pot rice and serve as desired.
Recipe FAQs
Yes certainly. I have used moong dal but tuvar or masoor dal works really well here. The dals that cook to a soft melt in the mouth consistency work. Hardy dals like urad or chana dal will not work very well here.
Apart from spinach we can easily use kale or fenugreek leaves. Even saag i.e. mustard leaves work well. Moreover, a combination of these makes a delicious saag dal recipe.
It is not important to soak the lentils. Moong dal is one of the fastest lentil to cook. However, soaking the lentils do make them more creamy.
Yes certainly. Make the entire recipe but leave out the tadka. To store it, simply cool the rice and the dal completely and transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate till ready to use. Add the tadka just before serving.
Yes certainly. Spinach is rich in fibre and dal is protein rich so together these make a delicious and healthy recipe.
Pairings
This is a complete meal by itself. However, pair it with a salad, soup or even a flatbread for a wholesome meal.
More Instant Pot Meals
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments whilst you are there, thanks!
Instant Pot Spinach Dal with Rice
Ingredients
For the Dal
- ¾ cup Split Yellow Petite Lentils (moong dal)
- 2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- 2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 inch Ginger (grated)
- ½ medium Onion (diced)
- 1 medium Tomato (diced)
- 1 Green Chili (slit lengthwise)
- 2-3 Curry Leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 pinch Asafetida
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 3 cups Water
- 2-3 stalks Cilantro
For the Rice
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1½ cup Water
- ¼ teaspoon Ghee
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
For the Tempering
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- 1 clove Garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder
Instructions
- Wash the lentil till the water runs clean. Drain and set aside.¾ cup Split Yellow Petite Lentils
- Set the Instant Pot mode to 'Sauté' and Normal. Add ghee and let it heat.1 tablespoon Ghee
- Then add mustard seeds, asafetida and cumin seeds.¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds, 1 pinch Asafetida, ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- Once the seeds pop, add garlic, green chili, ginger and curry leaves.2-3 cloves Garlic, 1 inch Ginger, 1 Green Chili, 2-3 Curry Leaves
- Once the raw flavor vanishes, add the onions. Let the onions cook for 5-6 minutes till it is soft.½ medium Onion
- Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.1 medium Tomato, 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- Mix and let the tomatoes become soft.
- Deglaze the pot by adding 3 cups water.3 cups Water
- Add in the lentils and mix well.
- Place a trivet in the center of the Instant Pot.
- Wash the rice till the water runs clean. Drain and add 1 ½ cup water, cumin seeds, cinnamon and ghee.1 cup Basmati Rice, ¼ teaspoon Ghee, ¼ teaspoon Cumin Seeds, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, 1½ cup Water
- Place the bowl on the trivet.
- Close the lid and press 'Cancel'. Press 'Pressure Cook' and set time to 6 minutes. The pressure should be set to high and the valve to sealing position. Let the lentils and rice cook. When the Instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Move the vent to venting and remove the remaining pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot and remove the insert with the rice.
- Set the mode to 'Sauté' and add washed spinach.2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off the instant pot and add lemon juice and cilantro.½ teaspoon Lemon Juice, 2-3 stalks Cilantro
- If you like the dal with lots of garlic, in a pan heat 1 teaspoon ghee, add 1 clove of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon red chili powder.1 teaspoon Ghee, 1 clove Garlic, ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder
- Add that on top of the dal and serve.
Notes
- To make the recipe mild: To make the recipe mild, remove the seeds and membranes of the green chili. Also swap the spicy Thai chili with milder chili. If you want it completely mild, leave out all the chili.
- Wash the dal well: It is a popular observation that a scum develops on the dal while cooking. To avoid that, wash the dal a few times till the water runs almost clear.
- Making Vegan spinach dal: It is easy to make the dal Vegan; simply swap the ghee with oil to make the dal Vegan. Other ingredients are naturally Vegan.
- Making the spinach dal gluten-free: The only ingredient with gluten in the recipe is asafetida. Use pure asafetida or leave it out to make the recipe gluten-free.
- Swapping the lentils: It is great to use lentils that will cook to a creamy consistency. Moong dal, tuvar dal and masoor dal work the best. Try and leave out lentils with husk like black dal. Moreover, leave out dals like urad and chana dal. These tend to remain hardy even after cooking.
- Using other greens: While spinach is the most popular green in these recipes, other ones work too. Mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, baby kale or a combination of these makes a great dal recipe.
Linda says
Dear Friend,
Love your recipes, but they need a Print Button, please
Smruti says
Hi Linda. The recipe is now available in a printable form. Thanks for your feedback!