Malabar Spinach Curry Recipe
This Indian Malabar spinach curry is garlicky and so delicious. The sauce is made with coconut, coriander seeds, red chili peppers and lentils. It's a great way to include these nourishing leafy greens, which grow prolifically in summer, in your diet.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 172kcal
Equipment
- Pressure cooker (optional)
- Large saucepan or saute pan
Ingredients
- 10 ounces Malabar spinach leaves (any tender stems are fine, but discard tougher, thicker stems because they are very fibrous. Chop finely).
- ¼ cup toor dal (arhar dal/tuvar dal or split pigeon peas)
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (divided)
- 1 small red onion (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 dried red chilli peppers (like Byadgi/Kashmiri/arbol, Use one if sensitive to heat and deseed)
- ½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened. Can sub with 1 cup canned coconut milk)
- ¼ cup raw peanuts
- 1 teaspoon jaggery (or sugar)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 8-10 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
Instructions
Cook the dal
- Place the toor dal and moong dal in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot liner or saucepan. Add turmeric and enough water to cover by an inch.
- Stir in the chopped Malabar spinach leaves and pressure cook for three whistles, or for 10 minutes in the Instant Pot on high pressure. If cooking the dals in a saucepan, let the lentils come to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the dals are very soft and break easily.
Make the coconut paste
- In a pot or saute pan heat a teaspoon of oil. Add the coriander seeds, onions and red chilli peppers. Saute until the onions begin to change color. Remove to a plate and let the mixture cool a bit.
- Place the roasted onions, coriander and chilli peppers in a blender jar with grated coconut (or coconut milk). Add ½ cup water and blend to a smooth paste.
Make the Malabar spinach curry
- Add the cooked dal and greens to the pot along with the blended coconut-onion masala and peanuts.
- Bring the curry to boil over medium heat, then turn down the heat, cover, and let it simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar or jaggery and add salt to taste.
Make the garlic tadka
- In a small skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and, when they sputter, add sliced garlic. Fry until the garlic gets lightly golden. Turn off heat.
- Pour the tadka into the Malabar spinach curry and mix well. Turn off heat.
Nutrition
Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Potassium: 400mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 8354IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg