Beet Greens Dal Fry

I love my Greens and I simply love to include them in my various recipes!I love making a mix and match with Dal (lentils) and fresh greens!Spinach is common and so are Fenugreek Leaves and so I was looking for a green to add to my comfort food!Yes,believe me a bowl of well cooked Dal and plain steamed rice with a dollop of ghee is one of the most soul satisfying,nutritious and healthy meals on earth!Dal by itself is made in various versions in almost all Indian States.The concept of adding fresh greens makes it more tasty and adds a whole lot of nutrients along with the mandatory protein kick!

I found fresh Beets at the Farmer’s Market and the leaves were beautifully fresh and dripping with dew – exactly what I wanted to add to my dal!So the leaves were prepped for the final shoot and I found myself salivating even as I shot the beautifully green with red embossed large veined leaves!The shoot was mandatory believe me!Nature gives us so much to think upon,ponder upon and capture for eternity!So the leaves were photographed and made my phone screensaver for a number of days!So let us go to this wonderful and say recipe!The Leaves also release the beautiful,crimson juice which is so popular for Beets and make the Dal slightly rosy which adds to the thrill in the senses when the course is served!

The Beets

The lovely Beet Leaves..

This recipe was contributed for the B Series in the A – Z Challenge by Jolly Makkar and Vidya Narayan who are established Bloggers themselves!

Preparation Time : 1 hour

Makes : 4 – 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups chopped,washed and drained beet leaves

1 medium Onion – sliced

1 medium Tomato – sliced

1 green chilli – minced

2 cups Arhar/Toor Dal – washed and soaked for 2 hours and boiled till fork tender (use a combination of Dals if you like)

Salt to taste

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

2 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Amchur (dried Mango powder)

1/2 tsp Asafoetida

1 tsp Kasoori Methi

1 Garlic Clove – Minced

1 inch piece Ginger – Minced

1 tbsp ghee

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)

1 dried red chilli

1 tbsp Coriander Leaves

For the tempering :

1 tbsp ghee

1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Asafoetida (Heeng)

METHOD

Pressure cook the soaked Dal with double the water and salt to taste for 4 – 5 whistles till tender and soft.Put the Dal along with the water into a cooking pan.Chop the Beet Leaves finely!

The chopped Beet Leaves

Heat Oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and asafoetida.When the seeds crackle,add the ginger,green chilli and garlic and stir.Add onions and fry till translucent.Add Tomatoes and cook till soft then mix in salt and coriander powders.

Add the chopped leaves and cook till the stems turn soft.Add amchur and mix well.

Powder the Kasoori Methi between your palms and mix into the Dal.Add turmeric and mix well.Put the pan on heat and bring the Dal to a boil again.

Now add the prepared leaves and ingredients to the Dal and mix well.Cook on low heat for 10 minutes till everything amalgamates nicely.Check here for salt and add more if needed.

Take off heat and prepare the tempering.Heat ghee in a small “tadka pan” and when warm,add the chilli powder and asafoetida.When the ghee starts simmering,take off heat and add to the Dal.Cover with a lid and leave for 15 minutes by which all the flavours would have been absorbed very well.

Ladle into a bowl and serve with plain boiled rice or fresh roti!For more luxury add a tbsp of ghee on top!Enjoy!

Served with plain rice..

26 thoughts on “Beet Greens Dal Fry”

poonampagar says:

July 7, 2018 at 4:38 pm

Never tried a curry with beetrrot greens Amrita..this dal fry sounds so healthy and flavorful..got to try this out .. lovely share !

The Girl Next Door says:

July 10, 2018 at 10:28 am

Wow, this looks great! I don’t think I have ever used beetroot greens in my cooking. I should totally do that!

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:57 am
  
  Thanks dear Priya..:)
  
mayurisjikoni says:

July 11, 2018 at 10:38 am

What a healthy and different kind of dal fry. I’ve had beet greens (young leaves ) in a salad mix and that’s the first time I tasted them. Next time I get beet greens I know what to do with them 🙂 If you find the beet leaves beautiful, then am sure you’ll fall in love with the Swiss chard during autumn… so colorful that when I saw them the first time,I didn’t want to cook them, wanted to keep them in a vase like flowers.

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:51 am
  
  Thanks so much dear Mayuri!Swiss Chard will not give the same taste as these greens!
  
Priya Suresh says:

July 12, 2018 at 10:10 pm

Extremely inviting dal fry, adding beet greens is definitely an innovative and brilliant diea. Wish i get this much fresh beet greens to dish this fingerlicking dal.

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:45 am
  
  Thanks dear Priya Suresh!You might get it in France as it is one of the hubs of fresh produce!
  
flavourdiary says:

July 15, 2018 at 10:39 pm

dal fry with beetgreens is awesome idea..dal looks inviting…lovely share for the challenge

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:44 am
  
  Thanks dear..:)
  
Vidya Narayan says:

July 20, 2018 at 6:40 pm

When you can turn a dal into a healthy and delicious meal with beetroot greens, lunch is definitely something to look forward to. Rarely I find good beetroot greens in the market and I make do with radish greens or spring onions most of the time for the added greens to the tadka but they cannot bring that lovely pink tinge to the dal which beetroot does. Healthy and nutritious – My kind of meal. Great share Amrita!

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:34 am
  
  Thanks dear Vidya!This is worth giving a try!
  
  - Vidya Narayan says:
    
    July 29, 2018 at 12:07 pm
    
    I couldnt agree more!
    
JollyHomemadeRecipes says:

July 22, 2018 at 5:02 pm

What a healthy and beautiful share by you Amrita. I’m sure my family loves this daal. Looks so tempting and delicious .. totally flavourful & yumm 😋

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:34 am
  
  Thanks dear Jolly..:)..do give this a try!
  
Aruna says:

July 22, 2018 at 8:32 pm

What a great way to use beet greens! I love how you elevated an everyday dish to new heights. 🙂

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:33 am
  
  Thanks dear Aruna!Yes this is a delicious change to an everyday recipe!
  
Renu Agrawal Dongre says:

July 24, 2018 at 2:39 am

The Dal fry is very healthy, loved the addition of beet leaves in it.

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:32 am
  
  Thanks dear Renu..:)
  
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram says:

July 24, 2018 at 4:52 pm

I love beet greens one because they have a familiar taste and two they are so easy to cook. Love this Dal option

- Amrita says:
  
  July 29, 2018 at 4:31 am
  
  Thanks dear Seema!
  
code2cook says:

July 31, 2018 at 12:16 pm

I love adding greens to my dal recipes. Yours looking perfectly cooked and so flavorful.

Batter Up With Sujata says:

August 28, 2018 at 2:06 pm

Dal fry with beetroot green wow sounds healthy and delicious. Loved the idea of adding green with dal . You made the dal absolutely healthy. Awesome share

Anshu Agarwal says:

September 2, 2018 at 8:33 am

What an amazing idea to combine beet greens with daal…delicious, healthy and perfect..loved it !!

Jayeeta says:

September 3, 2018 at 8:18 pm

Arhar/Toor Dal is not very common in our food list…..learn a new recipe from you 🙂 ……I am pretty sure spices and beet greens had given the dal a mouthwatering taste…..

Ankita says:

September 18, 2018 at 10:22 am

Never tried this recipe…the dal looks so good and colourful…

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