Spinach dal is a staple in most Indian households. A protein and nutrient filled lentil soup that makes a great accompaniment to roti, sabji and rice dinner. How about upping the nutrition quotient of the humble spinach dal and adding sweet potatoes to it for- Sweet potato and spinach dal.
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, fiber, manganese, potassium and magnesium. A single sweet potato can contain more Vitamin A than you need to consume daily. Vitamin A is great for vision, bones and skin, and helps build immunity. They have naturally occurring sugar, which makes them delicious.
Main ingredients in Sweet Potato and Spinach Dal:
Red split lentil- Also called split masoor dal in Hindi. I have used red split lentil in this recipe as it is easily available in most grocery stores. Split yellow moong beans or toor dal would be good substitutions also.
For this recipe and for cooking all the split lentils, I always like to soak the lentils for ½ to 1 hour. But if you are short on time, you can skip that part. Increase the cooking time to 10 minutes in the Instant Pot (recipe card has 8 minutes with the soaking). Always wash the lentils well in water till the water runs almost clear.
Sweet Potatoes– Is the secret star of this dish, but we are not going to tell anyone about it, especially our picky eaters 😊 Shredding the sweet potatoes and cooking it along with the dal in the Instant Pot makes it disintegrate. Your kids are not even going to know its there and its business as usual! It makes the dal just a tad bit sweet and if you like khatti- meethi (sour and sweet) dals, you will like it.
Spinach– is added at the end of the cooking process. It wilts quickly and provides some nice nutrition and color contrast to the dish. I like to use chopped baby spinach, but you can just as easily use chopped regular spinach.
Spices– Warming spices like fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and red chili powder are used in the dal. They spices are easily available at any neighborhood Indian grocery stores or even regular grocery stores. But, if you do not want to invest in buying 5-6 different bottles of spices, you can just as easily substitute it with 1 ½ tablespoons of curry powder. It will provide great flavor to the dal.
Cooking the dal in the Instant Pot:
For this recipe I have cooked the dal in the Instant Pot. Its my preferred way of cooking these days. I find it hands off and it removes a lot of the guess work out of cooking. But if you do not own an Instant Pot, you can just as easily pressure cook the dal in a manual Pressure Cooker. Follow the same steps in the recipe card and once the lid of the pressure cooker is closed and the whistle is on, cook it on medium flame for 3 whistles.
Serving and Storing leftovers:
You can serve this Sweet Potato and Spinach dal as an accompaniment to your Roti, Sabji, Dal and Rice dinner. I sometimes like to eat it just with rice and drizzle a teaspoon of ghee on it. And honestly, it can be a great soup option also. A bowl of this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dal soup is all you need on a cold winter night to feel comforted and warm.
Leftovers– Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Re-heat in the microwave. Lentils thicken up as the cool down, so you will have to adjust the consistency of the dal by adding some water.
Key Feature of the Sweet Potato and Spinach Dal:
Vegan, Gluten- Free and packed with good nutrients.
Instant Pot recipe. 10 minutes of preparation time and then Instant Pot does the rest.
Can be served with traditional Indian meal or as a soup.
You can use any split lentils you have on hand. Moong beans and toor dal are other options.
If you like sweet potatoes, try this delicious stew cooked in the Instant Pot:
Sweet Potato and Spinach Dal (Instant Pot recipe)
Nutritious and delicious sweet potato and spinach dal cooked in the Instant Pot.
4
servings10
minutes25
minutesIngredients
1 cup split masoor daal (split red lentil)
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
1 medium sweet potato
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon cooking oil ( I use Avocado oil)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
2 teaspoons coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon Red Chili powder ( or according to spice tolerance)
1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
2 cups chopped baby spinach
Method
- Wash the dal a few times till the water runs clear. Soak the dal in water for ½- 1 hour.
- Peel and shred the sweet potatoes using a box grater or food processor. We will use 1 cup of the shredded sweet potatoes.
- Turn on the IP on saute mode. When heated add oil and cumin seeds. After the cumin seeds splutter and change color slightly, add the chopped onions. Cook the onions stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes. Add grated ginger, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder and stir. Cook for a minute.
- Cancel out of the saute mode. Add the drained dal, 1 cup shredded sweet potatoes, salt and 2 ½ cups water to the cooked onions. Give the whole mix a good stir. Put the lid of the Instant Pot on and make sure that the valve is on sealing. Manual cook on High for 8 minutes.
- Once the cooking process is complete and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully Quick Release the pressure by turning the valve towards venting. It will take a few minutes for all the pressure to release. Once the pressure is released, carefully open the lid.
- The Instant Pot will have gone to Warming mode. Cancel out of it and turn it back on Saute mode. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for a minute. Add in the lemon juice and chopped cilantro and stir. Sweet potato and spinach dal is ready to be served with rice, rotis or parathas.
Tips
- The Cooking time of 25 minutes includes the time to saute the onions, add the ingredients to the Instant Pot, the time it takes Instant Pot to come to pressure, the actual pressure time, the time it takes the Instant pot to release pressure and the final step of wilting spinach.
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