Palak Daal (Saag Daal)

Dear friends, today I am posting two dal recipes which you all requested from me.
So first one is a channa- lauki (gourd) daal, and if my friends from army have got a chance to get a posting in north east they certainly would have got many a chance to eat this daal in the mess.
The second daal recipe is saag daal recipe form my side of the country which is called 'Satpaita' in local language. With the advent of winters you can see many variety of saag (green leafy vegetable as spinach, mustard and fenugreek leaves) being sold by the vendors. Even in the countryside this daal is prepared regulary in winters as it's readily available. So I hope you all enjoy making and serving it.

Ingredients -

Split Bengal gram (channa dal) - 200 g
Spinach - 1/2 kg
Onions chopped - 1 large
Tomatoes chopped - 2
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Black peppercorns crushed - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies minced - 3
Oil - 3 tbsp
Warm water - enough for daal

For tarka (tempering) -
 
Clarified butter ( ghee pure) - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli whole -2
Asafoetida (hing) - a pinch

Method -

 
1. Soak the dal overnight. Clean spinach thoroughly and blanch it. Grind it coarcely.
2. Heat oil,  put bay leaf and onions in it. Let the onions take a light brown colour.
3. Add the ginger-garlic paste, minced chillies, tomatoes, salt, all the dry masala powder except garam masala and saute a bit.
4. Drain the soaked daal, add into the masala and fry it until oil separates.
5. Add the ground palak and mix all nicely and fry it for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
6. Put garam masala and pour enough warm water for palak daal, close the lid and let the cooker go for 3-4 whistles. 
7. Take it out on a serving dish when it's cooled down.
8. Take a small frying pan and heat the ghee and put hing, cumin seeds and red chillies in it, when it has splutterd put it in daal and serve it with rice or roti.