I welcome you all to the 12th day of this “Protein Rice Series.” I did not bother to find the roots of the recipe to figure if it’s from Jharkhand or Bihar exactly. Like Andhra and Telangana, I am going to mention as Dal Sagga from Bihar/Jharkhand. :-)
Dal Sagga or Spinach and Lentils Gravy
Let’s not dig into the recipe origin but rather let’s delve into the amazing protein content in this dal. As I mentioned above, it is prepared with mixed dals. I used split pigeon peas (toor dal), yellow split moong beans (moong dal), Bengal gram dal (channa dal) and Black urad dal. And let’s not forget the spinach. All these ingredients together make this dal a complete protein, fiber, and nutrient rich dish. I got the idea from this blog and apparently lal saag or the amaranth leaves is used for this recipe. I usually get amaranth leaves here in Bay area but my bad I could not get this time. In addition, I did not want to postpone this recipe any further, so went with regular spinach.
Masoor Dal or Channa Dal
Coming the dal varieties, you can mix and match the dals that you have in your pantry. In fact, the original recipe calls for masoor dal instead of channa dal. But I went with channa dal. All you need is a mix of dals equaling 1 cup.
Ajwain / Carom Seeds
The other interesting ingredient in the recipe is the ajwain/carom seeds. Along with cumin seeds, we include carom seeds also while tempering. We loved the flavor of ajwain in the dal, and with the known health benefits of ajwain, I started using carom seeds in all my dals. :-)
Recap:
2015 | Day 12 – Kadappa 2016 | Day 12 – Batata Vada 2017 | Day 12 – Instant Pot Dal Sagga | Spinach and Lentils Gravy
Instant Pot Dal Sagga | Spinach and Lentils Gravy Recipe
A Bihari/Jharkhand style Dal Palak recipe popularly known as Dal Sagga prepared with spinach and mixed dals with the flavors of carom and cumin seeds.
Ingredients:
Split Pigeon Pea | Toor Dal – ¼ cup Split Yellow Mung Beans | Moong Dal – ¼ cup Bengal Gram | Split Yellow Chick Peas | Channa Dal – ¼ cup Black Lentils | Black Urad Dal – ¼ cup Spinach – 2 cups Oil – 2 tsps Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Carom Seeds – 1 tsp Turmeric powder – ½ tsp Salt – 1.5 tsp Hing – ¼ tsp Red chili – 3 Water – 2.5 cups
Prep – Work:
Wash all the dals and soak them for 15 minutes. Clean and chop the spinach roughly.
Steps:
Instant Pot Method:
Set the IP in sauté mode and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, carom seeds, hing and red chili, broken into small pieces. Sauté for a minute and then add the chopped spinach.
Add salt and turmeric powder and combine them and cook this spinach mix for two more minutes. At this stage add the dals and water. Mix them thoroughly and set the IP in manual mode and cook for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and carefully open the lid once the pressure drops.
Mix the dal sagga and bring them all together, and that’s it. Serve it hot with rice or roti.
Pressure Cooker Method:
Pressure cook the mixed dals by adding 2.5 cups of water and turmeric powder for 3 to 4 whistles. Let it cool and mash the dal nicely. Heat a pan or kadai and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, carom seeds, hing and red chili, broken into small pieces. Sauté for a minute and then add the chopped spinach. Add salt and cook the spinach for two more minutes. Then add the mashed dal and mix them thoroughly. Let it simmer for 5 minutes over medium flame and turn off the heat. Serve the dal sagga hot with rice or roti.
Notes:
You can use any spinach for this recipe and also the dals. If you use an equal amount of the ones that you have in your pantry. Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference. If you have soaked the dal for more than 30 minutes, then reduce the cooking time especially if you are using the instant pot.
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