Dal palak is proof that weight loss Indian food doesn't have to taste like diet food. A well-made dal palak — with a proper tadka, fresh spinach added at exactly the right time, and a squeeze of lemon — is genuinely delicious and delivers 180 calories per generous katori with 10g protein and 6g fibre. Very few other Indian dishes match that satiety-to-calorie ratio.
For weight loss specifically, this dish addresses two nutritional gaps that commonly undermine results: iron deficiency (which causes fatigue and kills the motivation to exercise) and protein deficiency (which leads to muscle loss during calorie restriction). The toor dal provides protein; the spinach provides plant iron alongside Vitamin C that significantly improves how much of that iron your body actually absorbs.
Ingredients
How to Make It
Rinse toor dal 3 times. Pressure cook with 3 cups water and a pinch of turmeric for 3-4 whistles until completely soft and easily mashed.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Add cumin seeds and hing. Once the seeds pop, add garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute.
Add onions and cook on medium flame until golden, about 6-7 minutes. Properly golden onions are the foundation of this dal's flavour.
Add tomatoes and cook until completely soft and the oil surfaces from the masala, about 7-8 minutes. Add red chilli, coriander powder, and turmeric. Bhuno for 2 minutes.
Pour the cooked toor dal into the masala and stir well. For weight loss, keep the dal slightly thinner by adding a bit more water — this reduces caloric density while maintaining volume and satiety.
Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Add the fresh spinach and stir it in.
Cover and cook for 3 minutes until spinach is wilted. Don't overcook it — you want it bright green, not army khaki.
Add garam masala and salt. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice — always off the heat. Serve with jowar roti or a small amount of brown rice.
Nutrition per serving
* Approximate values per serving
Health Benefits
Dal palak addresses the most common nutritional bottleneck in Indian weight-loss diets: iron deficiency. Affecting 53% of Indian women and 23% of men, iron deficiency anaemia causes deep fatigue that reduces physical activity — one of the key components of effective weight loss. Spinach provides 2.7mg non-haem iron per 100g, and the tomatoes and lemon in this recipe provide Vitamin C that converts non-haem iron to a more absorbable form, improving uptake 3-fold. Toor dal's high fibre (6g per serving) feeds gut bacteria that produce butyrate, which activates fat oxidation genes in adipose tissue. The 10g protein per serving is critical for maintaining muscle mass during caloric restriction — muscle determines resting metabolic rate.
Pro Tips
- →Add lemon juice at the very end, off the heat. Cooking it destroys the Vitamin C, which is exactly what you need for iron absorption from the spinach.
- →Add spinach only in the last 3-4 minutes. Early addition turns it an unappetising army green and destroys most of its Vitamin C and folate.
- →Resist the urge to add more oil for richness. The one teaspoon in this recipe, combined with the natural body of properly cooked toor dal, is completely sufficient for flavour.
- →Eat dal palak at least 2-3 hours away from tea or coffee — the tannins dramatically reduce iron absorption. Pair with lemon and Vitamin C-rich foods instead.
Variations
- 1Use masoor dal instead of toor for a slightly lower GI and darker colour — masoor dal palak has a deeper, earthier flavour.
- 2Add 1 cup chopped lauki (bottle gourd) while pressure cooking the dal — lauki adds volume and water content with negligible calories, perfect for weight loss.
- 3Methi-Palak dal: Add 1 cup finely chopped fresh methi along with the spinach — adds blood sugar benefits and a pleasantly bitter, complex flavour.
