Palak Daal

Alright, so I lied when I said that I would always make the spinach and artichoke dip from my last post when I had spinach that was on its last good day. I took a stab at the Indian dish Palak Daal instead.

I didn't have the urad daal lentils that the recipe calls for, but I did have green lentils, so I substituted those. I am sure that detracted from the authenticity of the dish, but it turned out pretty delicious regardless, so I am content with the substitute.

1 cup white urid or urad daal, picked over and rinsed

6 cups water, plus more if necessary
1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium green chile peppers, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons earth balance vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon pure red chile powder
a pinch of asafetida, optional (I did not use)
more salt to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup 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 chiles, 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. Now add the red chile powder (and asafetida if you're using it) and fry for another 30 seconds. Taste and add more asafetida if you like. Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. I also enjoyed a touch of lemon juice added at this point. Serve topped with the cilantro and the remaining green chiles.

Niki's notes: There was something lacking in the flavor department once this was finished cooking. This may have been a matter of personal taste. To remedy, I added about half a can of coconut milk and a fair amount of salt. This completely transformed the dish (in my opinion) and added a lot more depth to the flavor. Sometimes you have to experiment to find out what works best for your palette!

Serves 4-6 with rice or roti.

The original recipe came from: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/palak-daal-recipe.html