Hariyali Dal

If there is one dish that is bursting with good nutrition, it has to be this hariyali dal.... full of greens or various types, it just screams "HEALTHY!!! HEALTHY!! Spinach (palak), methi (fenugreek), coriander are all added to this dal in generous quantities.

Greens are considered power houses of nutrition. They provide the most concentrated sources of vitamins and minerals. All this despite being very low in calorie count. I guess this why our ancestors used to run around eating plenty of greens and edible leaves from different plants whenever hungry.

Greens have hardly any carbohydrates and so make for the perfect food while on a low carb diet.

This is an easy dal to prepare and is very quick to make. Lot of the taste comes from the addition of amchur (raw mango) powder which adds the necessary tang.

Now for the recipe....

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups uncooked masoor/toor dal

2 cups mixed greens (spinach, methi and coriander are some options)

1 chopped onion

1 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds)

2 teaspoons amchur powder (raw mango)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder

3 tablespoons ghee

salt to taste

Paste:

6 cloves garlic

4-6 green chillies

1 inch piece ginger

METHOD:

Cook dal with 3 cups of water till soft

Heat ghee and when medium hot, add jeera . Once the jeera sizzles, add onion and fry for 2 minutes.

Add cooked dal, greens, amchur powder, tomato, turmeric, red chilli powder, ground paste and salt.

Cook for 10 minutes till it starts simmering and the greens and tomatoes are mushy.

Serve hot with chapatis, naans or rice.

ENJOY!!!!!