Name: Dal Palak (Instant Pot Spinach Dal)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup red lentils (masoor dal); 1/2 cup yellow lentils (mung dal); 1 cup split chickpea lentils (chana dal); 2 tbsp oil; 1 small onion; 3 cloves garlic; 1/2″ piece ginger; 1 small raw mango; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1.5 tsp turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp garam masala powder; 8 oz or 5 cups baby spinach; sea salt, to taste; 2 tbsp cooking oil; 1/2 small onion, sliced thinly; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds; 2-3 green chillies

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Dal palak or spinach dal: easy and yummy mixed lentils with spinach and green mangoes. Served over cumin rice, it makes for a healthy and complete meal that will have you licking your fingers in delight! A simple vegan dal made quickly in the instant pot.

The humble dal is a staple of Indian food but is usually served as a side to other meat or vegetable dishes. But when you cook it with meat or vegetables, it gets transformed into something quite spectacular in taste. Dal palak is just such a dish. It tastes so good with steamed rice!

I have added one more ingredient to this spinach dal besides the usual onion, ginger, garlic and spices. Green mangoes. Green mangoes give this spinach dal a unique, very pleasing piquancy and after adding them once, on a whim, I always add them now.

Here’s the story if you’re interested. One time, while making dal palak, I found that I had run out of fresh tomatoes which I added to this dal as a matter of course. Instead I saw some green mangoes languishing at the back of the crisper, bought some time back for making mango chutney. They were just starting to turn yellow so I had to do something with them quickly. The chutney never got made unfortunately, but I used the mangoes for my dal and spinach dal was never quite the same again!

Check out my dal fry and dal makhani too if you like the idea of soupy lentils cooked in the Indian style.

Ingredients in dal palak

Note: Exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down in the post.

Mixed lentils – red lentils (masoor dal), yellow lentils (mung dal), and split chickpea lentils (chana dal)
Spinach – I buy pre-washed baby spinach for convenience. For this recipe, I chopped it roughly but if you’re short of time, you can skip chopping it too and dunk it straight in the dal.
Onion masala – onion, ginger, garlic and green mango all pureed together makes this masala.
Ground Spices – Kashmiri chilli, coriander, turmeric and garam masala powder go into the dal.
Sea salt, to taste

Ingredients for tempering the dal

Cooking oil or ghee – Use the cooking oil of your choice if you’re making vegan dal palak. If that is not a concern, you can use ghee which adds a pleasing aroma and richness to the dal.
Onions, sliced
Cumin seeds
Green chillies

How to make dal palak in the instant pot

Preparation

Take 1 cup chana dal, 1/2 cup masoor dal and 1/2 cup mung dal in a bowl and rinse them together until the water runs clear. Soak in 4-5 cups water.
Put the onion, ginger, garlic and mango (peeled and chopped) in a blender along with half a cup water and blend to a smooth puree. The onion masala is ready.
Chop the spinach roughly (or not). If you’re using pre-washed baby spinach, there really is not need to chop it if you don’t want to. It wilts very easily in the hot dal.
Slice the onion and green chillies for tempering the dal. This is the last step and you can do it as the dal is cooking in the instant pot.

Cooking

Add 2 tablespoons oil to the inner steel insert and when it is hot, add the the onion masala, powdered spices and salt. Add a few tablespoons water if required, mix well and cover with a lid to avoid splattering. Cook this masala for 8-10 minutes. The masala should lose its rawness and turn shiny.
Add the soaked lentils along with the water and close the lid. Pressure cook the lentils on high for 15 minutes and do a pressure release after 10 minutes.
Switch the instant pot to sauté and add the spinach. Cook for 1-2 minutes only.

Tempering

Heat cooking oil or ghee in a small frypan, add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Add the cumin and green chillies and pour carefully over the hot dal. Serve with steamed rice.

Some useful notes about this dal palak recipe

1. Raw mango is available in Indian and Pakistani stores, but if you don’t want to go to the trouble of visiting a store, add one big chopped tomato to the dal instead. Add it just before pressure cooking the lentils in the instant pot.

2. Kashmiri chilli powder is a mild variety of red chilli and is a vibrant, natural red colour. I use because it is less hot than cayenne. But if cayenne is all you have, go ahead and use that by all means. Just use a little less of it if you don’t want a super-hot dal.

3. On the same note as above, use fewer green chillies while tempering the dal if spicy dal is not your thing. I use the small Thai green chillies as they add a lot of flavour too besides heat.

4. If the dal is too thick after opening the pot, add 1 cup plain water and mix well. When you add the spinach and cook it, the dal will thicken slightly again. This is okay.

Other Indian vegan recipes you might like

Aloo Gobi – Cauliflower and Potatoes in an onion and tomato base with a sprinkling of the big three spices: turmeric, coriander and red chilli.

Mushroom Masala – If you like mushrooms, you will absolutely love this Indian curry made with white button mushrooms, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cashews and just two common spices.

Bombay Potatoes – Baby potatoes are steamed in the instant pot or stovetop, tossed in a few spices and dressed with lemon juice, green chillies and cilantro.

Vegetable Korma – Ground cashews and coconut milk add a wonderful creaminess to this medley of vegetables.

Rajma Masala – Curried kidney beans simmered in a delicious sauce.