Indian Red Lentil Dahl with Spinach and a Cumin-Scallion Tarka
Dahl is an easy, classic Indian soup made from split lentils or peas, boiled to a creamy texture, with a bit of turmeric and salt. This dahl with spinach (dal palak) is our favorite dahl recipe. It features toasted cumin seeds and scallion which make the flavor impeccable. This sort of seasoning is called a tarka or sometimes tadka. A tarka features spices or other aromatics cooked in ghee or oil before being added to the main dish. With or without the spinach, this cumin-scallion tarka makes this dahl exceptional. Serve with rice or naan for a light vegetarian meal, or add some other Indian delights, such chicken tikka or samosas, to round out your feast.
Dahl is a staple of Indian cuisine as well as other adjacent cuisines, such as Nepali and Bengali. It’s cheap, easy, and delicious. In households where meat is not an everyday luxury, dahl baht (dahl and rice) plus a vegetable may be featured at every meal.
The basic tarka dahl that this recipe is based on was adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian cookbook. The cookbook is a great, informative compendium for when you are asking yourself, “What can I do with this particular vegetable?”
Ingredient notes:
For this recipe, we use split red lentils because they are easy to find in the US and here in France. In an Indian grocery store, you might find them called masoor dal. In India, yellow split peas are also popular to make this soup. Pulses (lentils, beans, peas) as a whole are quite ubiquitous on the Indian subcontinent with over 50 varieties known! Soup is the most basic lentil preparation, but you can also use lentils to make fried snacks and flatbreads, to name a couple treats.
Adding spinach to dahl is a popular twist on the classic soup, and with good reason: they go together fantastically. In this dahl with spinach, we go the easy route with frozen chopped spinach. Freezing doesn’t destroy the nutrients in spinach, so it’s still healthy. Also, pre-chopped means the spinach blends right into your dahl without any hassle. If you prefer the texture of whole spinach leaves, no problem. This recipe will work just as well with frozen spinach with un-chopped leaves.
Dahl, dal, or dhal?
The spelling of this wonderful soup seems to be a matter of debate. In the western world, I see “dahl” most often, whereas in India the favored spelling seems to be “dal.” Then sometimes the h gets moved up! In that case, “dhal” apparently denotes the dry pulses rather than the soup made from them.
Indian Red Lentil Dahl with Spinach and Cumin-Scallion Tarka
Ingredients
Dahl:
- 190 g (1 cup) split red lentils
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 100 g (3.5 oz) frozen, chopped spinach thawed
Topping:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tbsp butter
- ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 large scallion
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional
To serve:
- Basmati rice or naan
Instructions
- Prepare the lentils: Rinse the lentils, and pick out any stones. Place 700 ml (3 cups) water in a medium pot, and bring to a boil. Add the lentils. As the lentils start to foam, skim off and discard the foam. Once they have stopped foaming, add ¼ tsp ground turmeric. Boil the lentils for 20 minutes total. Then, add 1 tsp salt and the 100 g thawed, frozen spinach. Either simply stir in the spinach or make a swirl pattern like the photo using a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
- Make the tarka (topping): While the lentils boil, slice the scallion, then heat 1 tbsp oil and ½ tbsp butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, the sliced scallion, and (if using) ¼ tsp cayenne pepper. Cook 30-45 seconds, stirring frequently. Turn off heat, and set aside until the lentils are ready.
- Serve: Serve the dahl over rice or alongside naan. Spoon the cumin-scallion topping over each bowl of dahl.