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Sri Lankan Dhal(red lentil)spinach curry

A spinach dhal curry cooked in coconut milk and tempered Sri Lankan style.

Spinach with dhal is another popular quick vegetarian curry you can try for a healthier meal plan.

A Dhal/lentil dish is the most basic of curries that everyone learns to cook early on.

With just 20 minutes, you can serve this spinach and dal curry over a bowl of rice and poppadams for a quick and simple meatless meal.

It’s a time-saving, versatile dish that really does come in handy when you need a budget-friendly yet wholesome meal to feed a family.

dhal curry with spinach cooked in a pot

Cooked using red lentils, a few tempering ingredients, spinach and coconut milk, this creamy spinach and dal curry makes a perfect budget-friendly side dish for your meals.

You can do this by adding various root vegetables to the dhal curry that will complement the dish.

such as,

  • Diced carrots add texture to the smooth and creamy dish.
  • Add a few cubed Cucumbers.
  • Potatoes are a great add-on as well.

And then I make this Spinach and dhal curry in which I completely reduce the coconut milk gravy.

I add more than the usual amount of chilli fleck followed by spinach leaves so they wilt with the remaining heat.
Love it!

Just like the Carrot and Bean(image above) curry, this dish is a great way to get your kids to eat their greens.

A word of caution though, if you are serving younger kids make sure to choose baby spinach so they can consume the leaves easily.

for this recipe, I’ve used large Spinach leaves that were a problem for my youngest to handle but easier for the older ones.

dhal curry cooked with spinach and coconut milk.

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A creamy spinach dhal recipe cooked Sri Lankan style.
  • Growing your own Spinach, can you?
    • I’m no gardener, in fact, everything I plant tends to sadly die but I can tell you without a doubt that Spinach is easy to grow.
      I have a large garden and there have been times just a stalk that I’ve thrown takes root and grows along the ground, they just need to get their long vines attached to something solid and they grow fast.
  • So next time you buy your Spinach from the local farmers market, see if you can get them with the stalk and try growing them in your garden.
  • Can I use frozen spinach to make the vegetarian/vegan dish?
    • Yes, you can use frozen spinach.
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Bowl.
  • Skillet or frying pan.

Sri Lankan Dhal curry(parippu, dal, daal).

Spicy Sri Lankan chilli dhal fry(vegetarian, vegan).

How to make easy-pressure cooker dal tadka(Indian dhal fry).

Spinach coconut salad(mallum)
Healthy sauteed spinach stir fry
Spinach and garlic coconut milk curry.

Once the Spinach and dhal curry is cooled, store them in glass or plastic containers. best consumed within 24 hours. refrigerate any leftovers and consume within 2 days.

Avoid freezing as the texture of spinach and dhal will be affected.

Can be microwaved for 2-3 minutes but covered to avoid splatter. heat over a low-medium fire.

This spinach and dhal curry goes a long way so cook only as much as you need.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

To cook the dhal

1 cup red lentils

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 cup water

For tempering

3-4 tablespoons of Oil

A handful of curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf)

3 garlic cloves finely sliced

1 large onion finely sliced

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder

1 teaspoon of chilli flecks

1 cup of coconut milk

Bundle of spinach washed and leaves picked.

Rinse the dhal/ lentil(1 cup), and strain.

Add them to a medium-sized pan, pour in the water(1 cup), add turmeric powder(1/4 tsp) and bring to a boil over medium heat.

cooking dhal with turmeric and water.

Cook the dhal until they turn soft for 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

cooked dhal with turmeric for spinacha nd dhal curry.

Place a small skillet or frying pan over medium heat.

Pour in the oil(3-4 tbsp), add the curry leaves(a sprig), followed by garlic(3 cloves), onions(1), and turmeric powder(1/4 tsp).

Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions turn golden brown. 5 minutes.

tempering curry leaves, onions, garlic with oil to cook dhal with spinach curry.

Include the Mustard seed(1 tsp) and chilli flecks(1 tsp), sauté further until the mustard seeds splutter making sure the chilli fleck doesn’t burn. 1-2 minutes.

tempered  onions,curry leaves, garlic in oil for the dhal curry

Transfer the cooked tempering onto the cooked red lentil(dhal).

Pour in the coconut milk(1 cup)and cook on a low-medium fire for 7-10 minutes.

Stir to make sure the ingredients are mixed together taste and season with salt as needed.

adding tempered ingredients to the dhal curry with coconut milk

Add the spinach leaves and cook until they wilt, 3 minutes over medium heat.

adding spinach to the dhal curry

Remove the spinach dal pan from the fire and serve warm.

dhal curry with spinach cooked in coconut milk.

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spinach and dal curry cooked in a pan.

Sri Lankan Dhal(red lentil)spinach curry

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

A creamy spinach dhal recipe cooked Sri Lankan style.

Dhal and spinach is another popular quick vegetarian curry you can try for a healthier meal plan.

Ingredients

  • To cook the dhal
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 cup water
  • For tempering
  • 3-4 tablespoons of oil
  • A handful of curry leaves(substitute with a basil leaf(
  • 3 garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 1 large onion finely sliced
  • 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli flecks
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • Bundle of Spinach washed and leaves picked.

Instructions

  1. Rinse the Dhal/ lentil(1 cup), and strain.
  2. Add them to a medium-sized pan, pour in the water(1 cup), add turmeric powder(1/4 tsp) and bring to a boil over medium heat
  3. Cook the dhal until they turn soft for 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
  4. Place a small skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
  5. Pour in the oil(3-4 tbsp), add the curry leaves(a sprig), followed by garlic(3 cloves), onions(1), and turmeric powder(1/4 tsp).
  6. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions turn golden brown. 5 minutes.
  7. Include the Mustard seed(1 tsp) and chilli flecks(1 tsp), sauté further until the mustard seeds splutter make sure the chilli fleck doesn’t burn. 1-2 minutes.
  8. Transfer the cooked tempering onto the cooked red lentil(dhal).
  9. Pour in the coconut milk(1 cup)and cook on a low-medium fire for 7-10 minutes.
  10. Stir to make sure the ingredients are mixed together taste and season with salt as needed.
  11. Add the spinach leaves and cook until they wilt, 3 minutes over medium heat.
  12. Remove spinach dal pan from fire and serve warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 383Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 9gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.
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Catherine

Monday 14th of August 2023

Perfect comfort food. It was gorgeous! Thanks for the recipe.

jehan

Friday 18th of August 2023

Hi Catherine, You are most welcome, glad you enjoyed it. Apologies for the late reply. Regards J

Elisa

Monday 14th of November 2022

Thank you for this recipe! I tried it this evening and my family loved it! Healthy but so tasty I am more and more in love with Sri Lankan cuisine!

Sabena

Wednesday 20th of January 2021

Made this today for the family . It taste amazing . I come from a Malaysian family we cook a lot of dhal too Although very different. You're recipe is gorgeous.

jehan

Thursday 21st of January 2021

Hi Sabena, Thank you and glad you enjoyed the recipe. curious to know how Malaysian dhal tastes like. Regards, J

Mimi

Tuesday 16th of April 2019

Thank you for the recipe. I made this tonight for my partner's family (they are Sri Lankan). I think it tastes amazing. Hopefully they will enjoy it too :)

jehan

Wednesday 17th of April 2019

Hi Mimi, You are most welcome. glad you enjoyed the dhal and spinach curry. hope they loved it!

Danielle

Wednesday 2nd of January 2019

You dont have coconut milk specified in the ingredients, but in method!

jehan

Wednesday 2nd of January 2019

Thank you Danielle! Will edit the recipe ASAP.

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