Spinach Chana Dal

This easy Spinach Chana Dal or Dal Palak is an incredibly tasty Indian lentil curry recipe. Fresh spinach and an assortment of fragrant Indian spices are blended with creamy chana dal.

Spinach Dal is a must try if you are looking for a flavourful Indian recipe that is naturally vegan and gluten-free.

• Ingredients
• What to serve with Dal Palak
• Can I freeze Spinach Chana Dal?
• How to make Spinach Chana Dal Tips for the best dal
• Other Dal/Lentil based recipes

You cannot go wrong with a comforting bowl of dal and rice for dinner. Quite possibly the staple dish of India, dal is eaten by everyone. It is a versatile dish that is cheap to make and yet filling.

Dal can come in so many different forms, from a traditional Gujarati Dal , to a royal creamy and smooth Sultani Dal to an innovative Garlicky Dal with Carrot Greens to Whole Masoor Dal .

This Dal Palak (spinach) recipe is a delicious Indian curry or stew made from yellow chana dal and fresh spinach. There are various ways of making dal palak and often households will use toor dal (or arhar daal/tuvar or split pigeon peas) and tomatoes. This particular recipe is made without tomatoes.

What I love about this dal is that the spinach is finely chopped/crushed meaning the spinach incorporates into the dal rather than having whole spinach leaves floating around.

The dal is quite thick and has a creamy texture. Why not add an extra flourish with a second tadka/tempering to enhance the flavours further.

Ingredients

Let’s discuss a few of the important ingredients in this recipe. For exact measurements, please see recipe card below

Chana Dal

Chana Dal or Bengal Gram is made from split black chickpeas which have been skinned. It is always useful to keep chana dal around because it doesn’t require soaking as many other lentils do prior to cooking. Of course if you have the time, you can always soak one hour beforehand!

For a quick recipe try Instant Pot Gujarati Chana Dal which uses basic ingredients but has that authentic sweet adn sour Gujarati food zing.

Spinach we have used fresh baby spinach but you can use normal spinach too. Use frozen if you cannot find fresh. We used a food processor to coarsely crush the blanched spinach.

Have leftover spinach? Try making Spinach Rotli with your next curry or add in this Paneer Palak Kofta Curry.

Onion , Green chillies, Ginger & Garlic the golden quartet in Indian cooking. These ingredients give a delicious depth to the dal and are an important ingredient in a lot of North Indian cooking

Indian spices warm masalas like red chilli powder, ground cumin and coriander and garam masala are needed for this dal. We have also used kasoori methi which always gives a restaurant-style flavour to this dal.

What to serve with Dal Palak

This dal is made with onion so it is not mild in flavour but punchy and robust. I would probably not eat this with another spicy curry as the flavours can become overwhelming.

Personally, I would enjoy the incredible flavours of this dal alone or with a very mild curry that is not made with onion and garlic.

Whilst the dal is cooking away, you can quickly make this Easy Potato Chips Curry or Bombay Potatoes as this curry uses only basic spices and is so quick to make.

I also love my dal with round and soft Gujarati rotlis

For a fresh zingy salad, try an Indian style salad such as kachumber – finely chopped salad with a lemon juice dressing.

Can I freeze Spinach Chana Dal?

Spinach Dal freezes really well. Once the dal is cooled, place in a freezer-safe container. Once defrosted, simply reheat again on the stove. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to loosen it.

I like to add another vaghar or a pinch of garam masala as it revives the flavours and the dal seems as if it has been freshly made.

Make some Dal Paratha if small amount leftovers.

How to make Spinach Chana Dal

Tips for the best dal

The trick to getting the tastiest and creamiest dal is to ensure the lentils are cooked until they are very tender and breaking apart.

In this recipe, we have cooked the chana dal separately until it is mushy and soft which dal is then added to a vaghar or tadka of cumin seeds.

Cook the chana dal in the instant pot or in a pan.

Also, we have blanched fresh spinach and ground into a coarse paste before adding it to the dal. See recipe card below to see how to blanch spinach.

For the best tasting dal, use fresh ingredients where possible.

Method

• In a thick bottomed pan heat oil.
• Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.

• Add roughly chopped onion, saute on low heat until it turns light pink.
• Then added crushed ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for a few seconds.

• Now add all the spice masalas and kasoori methi.
• Mix well, add boiled chana dal.

• Mix, let the dal cook for 5 minutes.
• Add coarsely ground spinach, mix well.

• Mix well, simmer the dal for 5 minutes more. If very thick add little water. Turn off the heat, add lemon/lime juice. Garnish it with fresh chopped cilantro/coriander before serving.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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Other Dal/Lentil based recipes

• Dal Methi Paratha
• MOONG DAL HALWA
• Dhaba Style Dal Fry
• Gujarat na Dal Vada
• Instant Pot Trevti Dal
• Superfood Broccoli and Bengal Gram Stir Fry
• Bengali Style Chana and Coconut Dal

Spinach Chana Dal – Easy & Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils Bengal Gram Daal- chana Daal-Boiled
• 3 cup spinach or palak (Indian spinach)
• 1 tsp green chillies crushed
• 1 tsp ginger crushed or puree
• 1 tsp garlic crushed or puree
• ½ tsp dry fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch asafoetida hing
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp chilli powder red
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp oil any
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• salt
• 2 lime lemon wedges
• 2 tbsp cilantro freshly chopped

Instructions

How to blanch spinach

• In a microwave cook spinach with very little water for 4 minutes.
• Grind in a grinder until you see coarse paste. Leave it aside.
• In a heavy bottom pan heat the oil, add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
• When it splutters add onion, fry for few minutes or until it turns light pink.
• Add crushed green chillies, ginger and garlic and cook for few seconds..
• Then add all the masala powder and kasoori methi and cook few seconds.
• Tip in boiled chana dal , mix very well, add little water if dal is too dry) and cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Now add ground spinach and cook on a low heat 4-5 minutes.
• Add salt, lime/lemon juice and mix well.
• Add chopped cilantro before serving.

Notes

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in May 2010.

Spinach Chana Dal - Easy & Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils Bengal Gram Daal- chana Daal-Boiled
• 3 cup spinach or palak (Indian spinach)
• 1 tsp green chillies crushed
• 1 tsp ginger crushed or puree
• 1 tsp garlic crushed or puree
• ½ tsp dry fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch asafoetida hing
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp chilli powder red
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp oil any
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• salt
• 2 lime lemon wedges
• 2 tbsp cilantro freshly chopped

Instructions

How to blanch spinach

• In a microwave cook spinach with very little water for 4 minutes.
• Grind in a grinder until you see coarse paste. Leave it aside.
• In a heavy bottom pan heat the oil, add cumin seeds and asafoetida.
• When it splutters add onion, fry for few minutes or until it turns light pink.
• Add crushed green chillies, ginger and garlic and cook for few seconds..
• Then add all the masala powder and kasoori methi and cook few seconds.
• Tip in boiled chana dal , mix very well, add little water if dal is too dry) and cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Now add ground spinach and cook on a low heat 4-5 minutes.
• Add salt, lime/lemon juice and mix well.
• Add chopped cilantro before serving.

Notes

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Imagine biting into American-style soft and fluffy mango pancakes that are bursting with exotic flavour! These homemade eggless mango and coconut pancakes are made from mango pulp and desiccated coconut for a breakfast recipe that is not too sweet so that you can generously load up on toppings!

• The BEST Mango and Coconut Pancakes without egg
• How to make no fail eggless mango pancakes + tips
• Storage
• FAQS
• More Mango Mania!

The BEST Mango and Coconut Pancakes without egg

Breakfasts will never be the same again once you have tried this easy mango pancake recipe. A stack of homemade mango pancakes has to be one of the best sights in the mornings!

Most weekends if I decide to make pancakes, I tend to go for something healthy like eggless buckwheat pancakes topped with fresh fruit but occasionally I love to indulge and these ones definitely hit the right spot!

I top these fluffy pancakes with fresh diced mango and a drizzle of mango and passionfruit sauce. Sinful, I know.

But what if you crave mango pancakes out of season? Don’t worry, it is totally normal. Just use frozen mango chunks or stick to tinned mango pulp.

If you’re opening a tin of mango pulp to make these pancakes, use leftovers to make our readers favourite Mango Badam Coconut Ladoo , Mango Peda or Gujarati Fajeto . Truly these mango recipes are the best!

Reasons you will love these delicious mango pancakes:

• Easy to make
• Soft and fluffy just like these Tres Leches Pancakes
• Egg-free delicious dessert
• Easy to convert to vegan mango pancakes
• A popular dessert with kids
• Best pancakes for breakfast, brunch or dessert
• Perfect for Sunday mornings
• Bursting with exotic mango and coconut flavours
• Uses easy to find ingredients
• SO much better than shop-bought pancake mix!

Ingredients

Mango – the star of the show! In this recipe, we can incorporated mango flavor into the batter itself and as a topping in two different forms. This results in golden summery flavoured pancakes that are full of mango flavour in every single bite.

During Indian mango season, I like to use fresh mangoes such as Alphonso or Kesar Mangoes. Kesar mango tends to be softer and mushier so if you want perfect mango chunks, I would suggest using alphonso.

Use ripe mangoes as they are the sweetest and provide the best results. You will need mango puree or mango pulp if you cannot get hold of fresh.

Coconut – coconut and mango are undoubtedly a match made in heaven! I have used desiccated coconut here.

Plain flour – we have used all purpose flour. You can use whole wheat flour but the flavour will not be quite right

Milk – we used whole milk

Yogurt – you can use either natural yogurt or mango flavoured yogurt. If you use sweet yogurt, use less sugar.

(we did not have buttermilk so used a mix of milk and yogurt)

Sugar – we used regular granulated sugar.

Baking powder – make sure it is fresh

Baking soda

Optional

Vanilla extract adds a warm sweetness to the pancakes

How to make no fail eggless mango pancakes + tips

These pancakes are so easy to make, perfect for a lazy morning!

The first step is to make the batter.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.

To make the wet mixture, in a separate bowl whisk most of the milk with the yogurt then add the mango pulp.

Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients mix and whisk.

You can use a hand mixer or do this manually.

Add the remaining milk to achieve a slightly thick but pourable consistency .

Make sure you don’t over mix , leave it slightly lumpy otherwise pancakes will turn out to be hard, chewy and dense.

Heat a skillet or non-stick pan on medium heat and brush with a little oil eg coconut oil or use a cooking spray.

Spoon the batter into the pan and allow it to spread – if it spreads too easily add a little more flour to the batter or if it seems too thick, add more milk.

Once bubbles appear on the surface and the edges look cooked, flip the pancakes over and allow to cook.

If the pancakes brown on the outside but remain undercooked inside, cook the next pancake on low heat

Repeat with the rest of the batter

For an American pancake, make the pancakes thicker but smaller. You can also make mango crepes with this batter if you spread the crepe batter out thinner.

Storage

You can store leftover batter in the fridge in an airtight container. Use within a day and ensure to mix it well.

Store cooked pancakes in the fridge in a container or covered in cling film and consume within 2 days. Reheat in a frying pan

Use non dairy milk such as coconut milk and vegan yogurt. Coconut dairy alternatives will work well due to their flavour

Yes, make gluten free pancakes using buckwheat flour

We have served these pancakes with fresh mango chunks (or your favourite fruit) and a mango and passionfruit sauce made by mixing tinned mango pulp and the flesh of a passionfruit. You could also top with fluffy whipped cream. Use coconut cream or coconut syrup if you are dairy-free. To keep things simple, simply dish over some icing sugar

Keep the pancakes warm by placing in a tea towel. This allows some steam to escape preventing the pancakes from going soggy.

The reaction of the raising agent and the acid in the buttermilk is what leads to the pancake batter becoming fluffy.

You can make these pancakes healthier by substituting the plain flour for amaranth or buckwheat flour. You could add a natural sweetener rather than sugar but the mango pulp will still contain some sugar.

More Mango Mania!

• Mango and Coconut Eggless Cheesecake
• Gujarati Mango Kadhi
• Homemade Mango Pulp
• Vegan Mango Mess
• Mango Passion fruit Melting Moments

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!

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Mango Pancakes with Coconut Eggless

Equipment

• Bowl
• Balloon whisk
• Skillet/griddle/frying pan I used 6 inch
• Spatula

Ingredients

Mango and Coconut Pancake

• 2 cup all purpose flour sifted
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• ¾ cup mango pulp
• ½ cup yogurt we used mango and passion fruit yogurt
• 1 cup milk whole
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3-4 tbsp oil or butter

Optional Toppings

• ½ cup mango pulp
• 1 cup mango cut
• ⅛ cup passion fruit pulp (optional)
• Few mint leaves

Instructions

• In a big mixing bowl add flour, coconut,salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
• In a one bowl mix yogurt and half of the milk.
• Add mango pulp to the milk-yogurt mixture.
• Add the wet mixture into the dry flour mixture
• Mix well, add remaining milk little by little and make pouring consistency batter.
• Leave it aside for 2 minutes to activate the raising agents.
• Heat skillet on a medium heat, brush it with little oil or butter.
• When the pan is hot enough, pour 1/3 cup of batter for one pancake.
• Let the bubbles appear on the surface and wait until the shine goes away, flip the pancake using a spatula.
• Let the pancake cook another side too then remove and serve with toppings.

Notes

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in February 2010.