Toor Dal Palak / Spinach leaves cooked with split pigeon peas

 

Winter is the only time when Pune sees beautiful, fresh vegetables.
The beans so green, the carrots so juicy you can break them with a snap, the green peas so sweet and the leaves ... methi, dhaniya and palak ever so fresh.
The cauliflowers look healthy and creamy white ... just the way they should be.
And the cabbages resonate with that hollow sound perfectly, when you tap them, that tells you they are well done inside and will be crisp and make that squeaky sound as you cut into it.
I am loving cooking them these days ... there is no satisfaction greater than cutting into fresh vegetables and dunking them into a kadahi and hear that loud sizzle as the moisture touches the hot oil.
That is how vegetables should be. That is exactly how home cooking should sound like.


I have already made Gobhi parathas twice for dinner and once for breakfast. There is something about grating a fresh cauliflower .... also I do not cook the stuffing ... they are too fresh to spoil the taste by cooking and adding too many masalas.
Even Mooli parathas have been enjoyed. As well as Aloo parathas.
Methi parathas have been done just once.
Right now, there are the Palak and the Bathua in my fridge. And also some Sarson(mustard).
Will be making the Sarson ka saag and Makke di roti this weekend for lunch.


And as for fresh green peas ... I love them so much that I add them to everything that I am cooking.
Like the Rui macher jhol that I made for lunch yesterday, the Jhalmuri that I munch on as an evening snack with my tea and also to the scrambled eggs or Egg bhurji that I made for dinner tonight.

This is basically what dominates our winter meals.
The same goes for dessert too.
Ma in law tells us to eat a little gur / jaggery everyday. And some ghee too.
So I usually make my instant Moong dal halwa on some nights and the Lapsi on others.
Both are healthy and hence guilt free.

With the Palak, I often make this Dal Palak.
But this time, when I made it for our lunch, I used the Toor dal instead of the Cholar dal.
And the flavour was so distinctly different that I promptly decided to make a post. It is already very late into the night right now ( gosh! it is already 4:07 in the morning!!) ... could not sleep hence decided to make this post.
So, I will go to the recipe now.

This dal is full of the flavour of garlic as well as the palak.
The addition of ghee also boosts the flavours.
Light, healthy and simple, this dal can be a meal by itself or when paired with just rotis or rice.
A little achar on the side and you are good to go.

Need :

Toor dal / Spilt pigeon peas - 1 cup , washed
Palak / Spinach leaves - 2 cups, washed and chopped roughly
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - around 10 to 12 cloves, chopped
Ginger - 1", chopped
Green chillies - chopped
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( I use the one I make at home )
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp (skip if you are vegan)
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Water - 2 cups and a little more
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped

How to :

Pressure cook the dal with salt+haldi and 2 cups of water till two whistles on low flame.
Remove from heat, cool and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadahi or wok.
Add jeera + chopped garlic + chopped ginger + chopped green chillies.
Fry for a minute on low heat.
Do not brown.

Add the chopped palak + a pinch of sugar.
Cover and cook till the palak is done.

Remove cover and add the dal + salt + dal's water and bring to a boil.
Cover and cook on low heat till everything comes together.

Add roasted jeera powder + home made red chilli powder + ghee.

Cover and simmer for a minute.

Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and a little of the roasted jeera powder and red chilli powder.
Serve hot.

Here is a look of our lunch table today.
I had also made a spicy Aloo matar ki sukhi sabzi ... recipe in the next post.

Till then ... enjoy winter and its bounty of vegetables as well as fruits!!