Daal-Palak Ka Shorba (Lentil and Spinach Soup)

Spinach soup in bowl with swirl of cream and flowering rosemary sprig garnish
William Reavell / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Made from scratch with spinach and lentils, daal-palak ka shorba soup is yummy and seriously good for you. You can have it any time of the year, but it will really warm you up when the weather is cold. Serve it with breadsticks or crusty bread, or eat it by itself.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup moong daal

  • 3/4 cup toor, tuvar, or arhar daal

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, grated

  • 1/2 pound coarsely chopped spinach

  • Salt, to taste

  • 3 tablespoons ghee

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 small dried red chile, broken in half

  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • Pinch asafetida

  • 4 wedges lime, or lemon

  • 4 teaspoons cream, whisked till slightly thickened

Steps to Make It

  1. Wash the moong daal and toor daal thoroughly under running water. Soak the daal in enough warm water to cover it for 20 minutes.

  2. Put the daal into a deep pan and add water—the level should be 2 finger digits over the top of the daal. Boil the mixture over medium heat.

  3. Add the ground turmeric and grated ginger and stir. Cook until the daal is soft enough to mash. Add more hot water as you cook, if required, to keep the consistency similar to that of a thick soup.

  4. When the daal is cooked, add the spinach, season with salt to taste, stir and reduce the heat to low.

  5. In another small pan, heat the ghee until it is melted and add the cumin seeds. Fry the ghee and seeds until they stop sizzling, and then add the dry red chile, chopped garlic, and asafetida.

  6. Fry the mixture until the garlic turns pale golden in color. Carefully add this ghee-spice mixture (called tadka in Hindi) to the cooked, simmering daal. It will sizzle and might splash so be careful.

  7. Add this mixture to the daal-spinach mix and stir well to blend.

  8. Blend the soup by hand or use a food processor to thoroughly blend the mixture until it has a smooth soup-like consistency.

  9. Spoon the soup into large soup cups or bowls. Garnish with a squeeze of lime or lemon and a teaspoon of cream and serve the soup with breadsticks or crusty bread.

Tips

  • For Step 3, use a pressure cooker, which will cut the cooking time significantly. The pressure cooker will also help to retain more nutrients in the food that would otherwise be lost due to overcooking.
  • Croutons taste great with this soup, so add a few before serving.
  • Spoon some plain, boiled rice into this soup to create a really filling, wholesome meal.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
245 Calories
13g Fat
30g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 245
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 7g 36%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 265mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 9g 31%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 27mg 134%
Calcium 150mg 12%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 589mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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