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Daal & beans

Daal Palak Recipe

دال پالک بنانے کا طریقہ

Daal palak: red masoor and chopped spinach simmered together with tomato and green chilli, then finished with a crisp garlic and cumin tarka.
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Illustration of Daal Palak

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Marinate / soak

20 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Daal palak is what Pakistani homes cook when winter spinach is cheap and plentiful. Masoor is the best daal for it because it melts into a smooth base that holds the spinach, and both cook in the same time. The spinach goes in after the daal has softened, so it stays green and fresh-tasting, and a garlic tarka ties it together.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

For the tarka (baghaar)

Method

  1. Wash the masoor 3 or 4 times and soak it in fresh water.

    ⏱ 20 min

  2. Drain and put it in a pot with 3.5 cups of water, the onion, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, salt, turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder. Bring to the boil and skim.

    ⏱ 5 min

  3. Partly cover and simmer on low heat until the masoor has broken down and the onion is soft.

    ⏱ 18 min

  4. Add the chopped spinach a handful at a time, stirring each lot in until it wilts. Simmer uncovered until the spinach is tender and the daal is thick but still pourable.

    ⏱ 8 min

  5. Give the daal a few turns with a ghotni or whisk to blend the spinach in, leaving some texture. Check the salt and keep it on the lowest heat.

    ⏱ 1 min

  6. Heat the oil for the tarka in a small pan on medium heat, add the cumin, then the garlic and dried red chillies, and fry until the garlic is crisp and golden.

    ⏱ 2 min

  7. Pour the tarka over the daal, sprinkle the garam masala, cover for a minute and serve.

    ⏱ 1 min

Tips for the best result

  • Wash spinach in a big bowl of water, lifting it out so the grit stays at the bottom. Repeat until no sand is left.
  • Yellow moong works the same way if you prefer a lighter daal; chana daal also works but needs to be boiled for 35 minutes first.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the spinach at the start with the raw daal. By the time the daal is done the spinach is dull, olive-coloured and bitter.
  • Not draining the washed spinach. The extra water thins the daal and dilutes the salt.

How to serve

Serve hot with roti or plain rice and a spoon of yogurt or raita.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge; the spinach darkens a little but the taste holds. Freezing is fine for up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
360kcal
Protein
16g
Fat
16g
Carbs
43g
Fibre
9.4g
Sodium
820mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 38

Whole dish ≈ Rs 155 · 59% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Daal Palak: questions people ask

Can I use frozen spinach in daal palak?

Yes. Use about 250 g of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed, and add it at the same point. It needs only 3 or 4 minutes.

Which daal goes best with spinach?

Masoor and moong are the most common because they cook fast and turn smooth. Chana daal gives a chunkier version.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All daal recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: دال پالک بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/daal-palak · Handi, DanixSoft