Instant Pot Dal Palak & How to Retain that Bright Green Color
Monday, June 01, 2020
Sharing an easy Dal Palak recipe here made with Masoor & Moong Dal with a Pro Tip on how to retain the bright green color of the Greens.
Dal Palak is bright green in the beginning but after it sits for a while, it loses it bright green color & turns brownish. To retain the bright green color, you need to cook this a bit differently. Read on to find out ..
Let's Look at the Recipe First
You Will Need:
You Will Need:
- 1/2 cup Masoor Dal
- 1/4 cup Moong Dal
- 2 cups Spinach
- 1 inch piece of Ginger - cut into small pieces
- 2-3 Green Chilies
- 1/2teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kitchen King Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- Salt as per taste
- 1.5 tablespoon Ghee
To Temper:
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 3 Broken Dry Red Chilies
- 2 fat inches of Asafoetida/Hing
- 4-5 cloves of Garlic - finely chopped
- 1 Bay leaf
STOVE TOP METHOD
PRESSURE COOK DAL
Wash Moong & Masoor Dal in several changes of water until the water runs clear & pressure cook along with Tomatoes, Green chilies, Ginger & turmeric
PREPARE TADKA
In a sauce pan, heat Ghee, splutter Cumin seeds & add Hing, Dry Red Chilies, Bayleaf & Garlic
Turn the flame to low & add red chili powder & sauté for 10 seconds. Be careful & don't burn the chili powder
Immediately pour the cooked dal & mix well. Add salt, Kitchen king masala & kasuri Methi. You may need to add water to get a Dal like consistency & simmer for 6-8 minutes. Keep stirring the pot in between. Switch off the heat & set aside.
ADD SPINACH LEAVES AFTER 20 MINUTES
Meanwhile, clean & chop spinach leaves. When the dal is warm, about 20 minutes after the heat is turned off, add the chopped spinach leaves leaves into the dal & mix well & let it sit for 5 minutes.
Serve with Rice or Chapatis
HOW TO RETAIN THE BRIGHT GREEN COLOR
Add spinach leaves 20 minutes after you have finished simmering the Dal. The Dal has to be slightly warm. Mix in chopped Spinach, mix well & let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
This method ensures that the Spinach leaves remain green but Cooked.
Spinach needs very less time & heat to get cooked so the slight warmth in the Dal is just enough for it to get cooked & yet retain that bright color.
I took these pictures about 5 hours after making the dal & the Spinach leaves are Green as ever
This method works great if you want to make this ahead for potlucks
HOW TO RETAIN THE BRIGHT GREEN COLOR
Add spinach leaves 20 minutes after you have finished simmering the Dal. The Dal has to be slightly warm. Mix in chopped Spinach, mix well & let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
This method ensures that the Spinach leaves remain green but Cooked.
Spinach needs very less time & heat to get cooked so the slight warmth in the Dal is just enough for it to get cooked & yet retain that bright color.
I took these pictures about 5 hours after making the dal & the Spinach leaves are Green as ever
INSTANT POT METHOD
Wash Moong & Masoor Dal in several changes of water until the water runs clear
Place the stainless steel inner pot inside the Instant Pot & turn on the Normal Sauté Mode
Add Ghee, Once hot, splutter Cumin seeds & add Hing, Dry Red Chilies, Bayleaf & Garlic
Add Tomatoes, Ginger, Green Chilies & turmeric & sauté for 30 seconds
Add Red Chilli Powder, Kitchen King Masala, Kasuri Methi & Salt & sauté for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell has disappeared.
Add the Dal along with 3 cups of water & check for salt.
Cancel the Sauté mode, Deglaze the Pot, Close the lid & seal the vent & Pressure Cook on High for 4 minutes
After 5 minutes do a QPR for any remaining pressure. Turn off the Instant Pot.
After 20 minutes, Add in chopped Spinach & mix well. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving
Add Red Chilli Powder, Kitchen King Masala, Kasuri Methi & Salt & sauté for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell has disappeared.
Add the Dal along with 3 cups of water & check for salt.
Cancel the Sauté mode, Deglaze the Pot, Close the lid & seal the vent & Pressure Cook on High for 4 minutes
After 5 minutes do a QPR for any remaining pressure. Turn off the Instant Pot.
After 20 minutes, Add in chopped Spinach & mix well. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving
WHAT SHOULD THE CONSISTENCY OF THE DAL BE?
Well, this depends. Some like it creamy while some like it Soupy. So adjust the water consistency as per your liking
Dal tends to thicken a bit as it sits longer, so I like it make it slightly soupy so that it will thicken just the right amount by the time it's served.
WILL THE SPINACH LEAVES BE FULLY COOKED IF ADDED LATER?
Absolutely .. As I mentioned before, Spinach needs very little heat to cook, so the resining heat from the Dal is just enough to cook Spinach & not overcook them
ALTERNATE METHOD TO COOK SPINACH
If you are worried about Spinach not get cooked in the remaining heat, You can also cook Spinach in the Microwave for 2 minutes before adding it into the Dal
If you are worried about Spinach not get cooked in the remaining heat, You can also cook Spinach in the Microwave for 2 minutes before adding it into the Dal
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