Pressure Cooker Dal With Spinach

By Hester

Ingredients

• 2 " piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons canola, coconut, or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 3 small, dried red chiles, split
• 1 tsp coriander seed
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
• 2 cups chana dal, rinsed thoroughly and sorted
• 6 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach, rinsed and drained well
• Garnishes
• plain Greek yogurt
• cilantro, chopped

Details

Adapted from pressurecookingtoday.com

Preparation

Step 1

1.Add coarsely chopped ginger, garlic, and onion to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until the mixture is pureed.
2.Heat the oil in the pressure cooker pot to saute (medium-high on stove top). Add the onion mixture, the black mustard seeds, and the red chile pieces. Saute until the mustard seeds begin to pop.
3.Grind the coriander seed, cumin seed, and fenugreek together in a spice grinder. Add to the pot. Sautee 1-2 additional minutes, being careful to not burn it.
4.Add the chana dal, broth or water, salt, garam masala, and turmeric.
5.Lock the pressure cooker lid in place. Set according to your model's setting for beans/legumes (about 7 minutes), or on the stove top, cook on high pressure for about 5 minutes. Allow the dal to release pressure for about 10 minutes during which time, the chana dal will continue to cook. At 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure.
6.Add the spinach to the pot, and stir to combine. Check for seasoning.

To Serve
1.Serve the chana dal over basmati rice (white or brown). Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
2.Enjoy!




Notes

The recipe is written using chana dal, one that requires a little more cooking time. Adjust the cooking time if using a different pulse.

I live in south Texas, and chile de arbol are readily available. Use your preferred dried red chile, substitute a bit of crushed red pepper, or omit entirely according to preference.

I grind my spices in a personal blender using one of the small cups. It works really well.