Spinach Lentil Dal

Spinach Lentil Dal Recipe

Spinach Lentil Dal - an Indian lentil recipe with a flavorful spinach sauce that is full of flavor and nutrients and can be made in 30 minutes. Serve with Basmati Rice, and naan bread!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons ghee (or coconut oil, but ghee will elevate)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeno, finely chopped (or 1 serrano) this is mildly spicy, add more if you like.
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 lb Baby spinach (fresh or frozen)
15–20 fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
2 tablespoons water (if using fresh spinach)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or vegan yogurt)
3 – 4 cups cooked black lentils (or aka caviar lentils, beluga lentils or French green lentils)
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste!

Directions
If cooking black lentils and basmati rice, start them first (see notes)

Make the Spinach Sauce:Sautee the onion in ghee, in a large pan, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and chilies. Saute until fragrant and golden. Add the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and garam masala and stir two minutes. Lower heat to low. Add the fresh spinach, mint, fenugreek and water. Cover pan, 2-3 minutes, letting spinach wilt. Give a few stirs. Don’t overcook!

Blend Spinach Sauce: Place the wilted spinach mixture in a blender and add the 3/4 cups water. Pulse and few times (hold lid down tight). If you want a smooth sauce, blend until smooth. I left a little texture here. Pour it back into the pan, set on low heat. Don’t overheat or you will lose the pretty color.

Combine: Stir in the yogurt, lentils and salt. Taste. Adjust salt to your liking, adding more if necessary! You want this slightly more salty because you are serving over rice which will mellow it out a lot. For more heat add a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes. To “up” the flavor even more, add a bit more garam masala spice to taste. If you want a little acidity a tiny squeeze of lemon is nice.

Serve with the basmati rice and naan bread!
Emerald Dal will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.

Notes
Cook black lentils according to package or try the pasta cooking method: simply boil 1 1/4 cups dry lentils in 6 cups of salted water until just tender, strain. The size of lentil will determine cooking time. Little black lentils take 20-30 minutes. Feel free to sub other whole lentils for the black lentils.

SPINACH: If using fresh spinach, be sure to use baby spinach, as mature spinach and their stems can be bitter.

Yes, you can sub coconut oil or butter for the ghee– but in my opinion, the ghee really elevates and adds so much flavor.

Feel free to bump up the spices and heat (add more chilies and spices). 

Perfect Carnitas With Cumin Seed Slaw

Perfect Carnitas With 

Cumin Seed Slaw

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Carnitas  Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 T. coarse salt
1 T. freshly ground pepper
2 T. ground cumin
2 T. dried oregano
4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 or 5 pieces 1 head garlic, sliced in   
      half crosswise.
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced in half

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Directions:

For the Carnitas, combine salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and sprinkle all over the pork. Cover and marinate pork in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay pork pieces in a flat, ovenproof glass baking dish and top with garlic and onion. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn pork over and bake for 30 minutes until pork shreds easily. Cool pork enough to be able to handle. Shred pork, discarding fat bits, onions and garlic. You will need 3 cups shredded pork for this recipe. Any leftover can be frozen for another time.

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Cumin Seed Slaw
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. cabbage, shredded 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. toasted cumin seeds

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Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and carrot; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, salt and cumin seeds; bring to a boil. Pour over cabbage mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon.