Spinach Dahl with Potato and Chick Pea

A well-spiced dahl is the cornerstone of Indian cooking.

 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup split toor Dahl (see cook's note), rinsed
1/4 cup Le Puy black lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 large package spinach

For the Tarka:
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp butter or ghee
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeño or red chili, diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground fenugreek
3 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 curry leaves

Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot and add the legumes.  Return to a light boil and skim the froth from the top.  This helps avoid bitterness in the dahl.  Cover the pot, but leaving the lid slightly ajar.  Allow the pulses to cook for about an hour, stirring once or twice. 


While the lentils cook, prepare the tarka - which is a fried spice mixture.  Melt the butter (or ghee) in the oil in a small skillet.  Add the onion and jalapeño and let them cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining spices and cook another 5 minutes, until the tarka is very fragrant.

 

After about 45 minutes, add the potatoes and chick peas.  Slowly turn in the spinch, allowing each addition to cook down.  When all the spinach is added, turn in half the tarka into the dahl.  Let the dahl cook about another 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked through.  The lentils should become very creamy and no crunch should remain whatsoever.  Add a bit of boiling water to keep a nice creamy texture if dahl is becoming too dry. Salt and pepper to taste.  Turn the lentils into a serving dish and top with the remaining Tarka.

Some people may not like the crunch and spiciness of the tarka on top of the dahl.  So alternatively, add all the tarka to the dahl to cook and soften the spices in the dahl.  Serve the dahl topped with chopped cashews for a crunch.  

Cook's Note:  Toor dahl is a yellow pea used commonly in Indian cooking to prepare a smooth lentil stew.  You could substitute yellow split pea if you don't have split toor dahl.  They give the dahl a creamy consistency.  I like to balance this with Le Puy lentils, used commonly in French cooking, to add a complementary toothy bite and a speckled look to the dahl.  I also sometimes substitute the black lentils with a beautiful mixed lentil combo from Whole Foods, but that's frankly quite a bit pricey.