This palak daal recipe came to me by way of a favorite neighborhood spot in San Francisco. Wayne and I regularly frequent a place called Kasa. It takes just about ten minutes to get there on foot. It’s casual, fast, and I know exactly what I like – kati roll, paneer, unda-style with side of daal. The other day I was chatting with Anamika, one of the owners, and she mentioned that she was teaching a cooking class as part of a fund-raiser.
I have to admit that I’m always checking the Kasa site with the hope that Anamika will post some of her recipes. When she mentioned she was going to be teaching palak daal – spinach and lentils, and then offered to email me her recipe, I was pretty excited. I’d take a cooking class with Anamika any day, and in the meantime, this was the next best thing.
Anamika’s Palak Daal
I’m excited to share Anamika’s daal. It’s rich, filling, and nutritious. Leftovers are a dream. The fragrant spices filling the house let you know you’re on to something special. You use the white lentils pictured below, and you can see how I like to chop the spinach here as well.
Palak Daal Cooking Tips:
- Lentil type: If you switch up the kind of lentils in this recipe, you’ll likely need to adjust the cooking time. Some lentils cook more quickly than others. Beyond that you’ll need to cook down the liquid in the pot so the consistency looks something like what you see in the photos.
- Consistency: If you’re finding your daal a bit too soupy for your liking, dial up the heat a bit and wait for it to thicken up.
- Leftovers: Leftover daal will thicken substantially over time in a refrigerator. To reheat, add water (or sometimes I do coconut milk) a splash at a time, and re-season to your liking.
More Lentil Recipes
- Lentils Folded into Yogurt, Spinach, and Basil
- Lentils with Wine-glazed Vegetables
- Nine Great Lentil Soups
- Coconut Red Lentil Soup
- Garganelli with Kale and Lentils
- all lentil recipes
Favorite Indian Recipes (or India-inspired)
- Chana Masala
- Saag Paneer
- Cauliflower Korma
- Indian-spiced Guacamole
- Ghee
- Palak Paneer
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