South Indian Toor Dal Palak - A staple curry in my house

Credit: https://www.ifood.tv/recipe/toordal_palak_curry

Ingredients:

Dal (lentil) of your choice (you can use Toor Dal or Masoor Dal or Moon dal or a mixture of them) - 1cup

Palak (spinach or baby spinach leaves) -1 1/2cups (or even a handful) finely chopped

Tomatoes-2 finely chopped

Fresh grated coconut-2tablespoon

Green chillies-6small or 2 large

Tamarind juice-1tablespoon

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder-1/4 teaspoon

Sambar powder-1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin powder-1/2 teaspoon

Oil-2 table spoon

 

For Seasoning:-

Ghee-1 tablespoon

Onion-1 finely chopped

Red dry chillies- 2 broken into pieces

Garlic cloves - 3 sliced or crushed

Urad dal-1 teaspoon

Hing-a pinch
Cilantro (coriander leaves) - a small handful, chopped

Method:

My note:

1. To make tamarind juice (if not having tamarind paste)

Mix a small quantity of tamarind (about the size of a rupee coin or a US quarter) in a small bowl with some hot water. Mash the tamarind to make the tamarind juice. Strain before using.

2. I left out grated coconut on several occasions, coz I was too lazy to break a coconut and grate it.
3. I bought Sambar paste once instead of Sambar powder. The paste already contains tamarind too, so do not use additional tamarind paste if using sambar paste.

How to make Toor Dal Palak Curry

Pressure cook dal with 1 cup of water, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon oil, cool and mash well, and keep aside. If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook it in an open saucepan until its turned very soft and mushy.
Heat oil in a large pot. Add green chillies, tomato, chopped spinach and fry well till the palak has wilted and tomato has mashed a little (about 2 minutes).
Add chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and 1/4 cup of water, cook the palak well.(about 5 minutes)
Add mashed dal with 1/4 cup dal water, salt, tamarind juice and sambar powder. Cook till it becomes thick.(another 2-3 mins)
Sprinkle cilantro and coconut. Allow dal to simmer on low heat. Meanwhile, heat ghee, add seasoning ingredients fry well pour on dal and mix well.
Serve with Rice or Chapattis.