Popeye
I think Popeye, when I think of spinach. I’m sure anyone familiar with Popeye would do that. While his bulging forearms and funny accent made me laugh, he also made a big impression on me as a kid. And that was thanks to all the spinach he kept popping into his mouth, showing off his formidable strength. Ever since I started watching Popeye cartoons, I was hooked on to spinach!
Some Popeye Trivia
I recently came across some interesting Popeye spinach facts. Apparently, a German chemist was calculating nutrition values of various leafy vegetables in 1870. By mistake he noted the iron content in spinach as 35 milligrams per 100 gram serving of spinach, instead of 3.5 milligrams. This mistaken value impressed the studio executives who recommended that Popeye eats spinach. I believe the error was corrected in 1937 but by then Popeye was already legendary so the story stayed! Thanks to Popeye, a lot of folks started eating spinach.
South Indian Palak Dal
Despite the error, iron is still significant in spinach. It is low in calories, high in fiber and antioxidants. It helps lower blood pressure and improve vision. I like to add spinach to several dishes. Omelet, idli, uthappam, you name it. Spinach dal certainly tops the list. This dal is called ‘palakura pappu’ in Telugu. I use ‘kootu podi’ in this recipe. It is optional, but it gives a unique flavor which I strongly associate with this dal.
Ingredients for Kootu Podi
Kootu Podi Ingredients
In case you’re interested, here’s a recipe for Kootu Podi, which is the spice powder that brings in a unique flavor this dish. It is similar to sambar powder and used in various South Indian recipes including sambar. Again, the ingredients may vary slightly but the overall flavor does not change much. Our Kootu Podi is made by sautéing the following ingredients in half a teaspoon of oil for 4-6 minutes, cooling and blending them into a coarse powder:
- Dry chili peppers (15)
- Coriander seeds (1 cup)
- Chana dal (3/4 cup)
- Black pepper corns (1 teaspoon)
- Fenugreek seeds (1 tablespoon)
- Urad dal (2 tablespoons)
- Cumin seeds (1 tablespoon) and
- Mustard seeds (1 tablespoon)
- Dry grated coconut (1/4 cup)
One tablespoon of this powder lends a very distinct flavor to this recipe. I keep a jar of this in my refrigerator and it lasts me almost a year despite regular use.
Instant Pot
Obviously, I had a few options on which device to cook in. I opted for Instant Pot (IP), since I’ve become quite used to cooking in IP. A Prestige Pressure Cooker does the job equally well. I am often asked why I don’t cook dal along with all other ingredients at one go. In fact I did try this a couple of times, and I wasn’t very happy with the outcome. It doesn’t taste quite the same. Traditional cooking calls for dal (and maybe tomatoes) to be cooked separately and then added to sautéed ingredients. I find that this always works best for me, even if it means extra time.
Spinach is low in calories, high in iron, fiber and antioxidants. It helps lower blood pressure and improve vision. Toor dal of course is an excellent source of nutrients and plant protein, and also contains dietary fiber.
Check out our delicious lentil-based recipes:
- Sambar
- Dal Makhni
- Cucumber Dal
- Delicious Dal Tadka!
- Tomato Fenugreek Dal
- Andhra Tomato Pappu
- Yellow Mung Detox Soup
- Rainbow Chard Lentil Stew
- Instant Pot Moringa Leaf Dal
- Opo Squash Yellow Mung Curry
- Mamidikaya Pappu- Raw Mango Dal
- Cabbage Kootu: Cabbage & Lentil Stew
- South Indian Palak Dal – Spinach & Lentils Stew
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South Indian Palak Dal- Spinach & Lentils Stew
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Toor Dal - (Split Pigeon Peas)
- 1/8 Cup Tomato - Large Pieces
- 1/5 Cup Spinach - Fine Cut
- 1/8 Cup Onion - Fine Cut
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro - Fine Cut
- 1 Clove Garlic - Small, Fine Cut
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Urad Dal - (Split Black Gram)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Kootu Podi - Optional
- 1/2 Chili Dry Red Chili - Small
- 1 Chili Green Chili Pepper - Small, Slit in Half
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Jaggery - Powdered
- 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil - Cold pressed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Tamarind - Concentrate (or tamarind soaked in water)
Instructions
- Make sure you have these ready before you start cooking: 1. Seasoning (dry red chili, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chili pepper and urad dal) 2. Tamarind, salt, turmeric, jaggery, kootu podi (optional) 3. Garlic and onion 4. Pressure cooked dal and tomato 5. Fine cut spinach and cilantro.
- Add tamarind, salt, jaggery to pressure cooked dal and mix well.
- Set IP to 'saute' mode, heat oil. Add garlic, onion, saute for a couple of minutes. And seasoning ingredients. Cook for a minute.
- Add turmeric, dal, and cook for a minute. Now add kootu podi and mix well.
- Add cilantro and spinach, mix well and turn IP off. By adding greens in the end and not cooking them much, helps retain most of their nutrients.
- Transfer to serving bowl. Serve hot.
