Lasooni Zucchini Dal with Spinach

Gluten Free and Vegan Zucchini Dal with Baby Spinach and Garlic  

Zucchini is a regular veggie at home with dishes like sumac tossed stir fry (western style) , focaccia or Thai Style Noodle Coconut Soup, Zucchini Red Poha, and the South Indian Style Kootu made regularly. This time I tried it with spinach for a lasooni (garlicky) dal - lentil curry - and loved it a lot. Another variant of dal, although without onion garlic is made with Bottlegourd (lauki) is also a family favourite.

The normal picky eaters also took a second helping which gave a much needed confirmation that Western veggies do so well in an Indian dish too. We love Broccoli Kadai masala (recipe soon!) as well as Kale Chips (although the quantity I made was rather little considering that Non-Indian veggies are always sold at a premium here)

Similar dal with Bottle gourd (Calabash) that you can serve with rice / Roti is below

Other Recipes with Zucchini you may like on the blog!

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FAQs to make Lasooni Zucchini Dal

What can I serve with the Lasooni Zucchini Dal?

Steamed Basmati Rice, Naan, Kulcha or even Roti would pair beautifully. The second time I made this, we had it with Jeera rice and that was a fantastic combo as well 🙂   

Can I skip the garlic in this dal?

Yes, if you don’t eat or prefer garlic, you can skip, although we loved it

Can I make this in bulk and freeze?

I haven’t tried cooking in bulk, but I assume this should freeze well for a week (not sure beyond that)

I dont have Baby spinach? What else can I use? 

Fenugreek leaves (methi) or kale would also work well. Sprinkle some salt on the kale - leave it for some time and squeeze out some of the bitterness. And then use after sautéing the kale.

Can this Dal be made in the Instant Pot / Pressure cooker?

Certainly can be. Cooking times may vary slightly.  Refer Notes below. 

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Let’s make Lasooni Zucchini Dal - Gluten Free and Vegan Zucchini Dal with Baby Spinach and Garlic  

Cuisine - Indian, Course - Side Dish / Accompaniment

Prep Time - 10 mins, Cook time - 15 mins, Serves - 3 

Ingredients to make Lassooni Palak Dal with Zucchini

• 150 grams Zucchini (washed and cubed) 
• 100 grams Baby Spinach 
• ¼ cup Red Lentil (Masoor dal)
• 3 tablespoon Split Green Gram (Moong dal)
• 2 green chillies (adjust spice) 
• ½ teaspoon turmeric 
• 4 cloves of garlic 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon Lemon juice

Tempering:

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 red chilly 
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

How to make Lasooni Zucchini Dal?

1. Wash and soak the lentils in hot water for 10 mins. 
2. Meanwhile wash and shred  the baby spinach. Cut the zucchini into cubes.
3. In a pressure pan, add the soaked dals, baby spinach, zucchini, half the salt , slit green chillies, garlic cloves and turmeric
4. Add ¼ cup of water and pressure cook for just 1 whistle (be sure to soak the dals in hot water - refer 1st step-  prior to cooking) 
5. Let the pressure drop on its own. Mash it lightly and add the rest of the salt and mix well. 
6. In a small pan, add the oil splutter the mustard seeds, red chilly and cumin seeds.
7. Let the seeds splutter. 
8. Add this tempering to the zucchini Dal. 
9. Finish with lemon juice and serve hot with Steamed rice / Roti 

Notes (If making in Instant Pot)

1. Soak dals as above.
2. Add all the veggies, dal with a little more water. Pressure HIGH for 6 mins. NPR for 10 mins.
3. Mash the dal well.
4. In a pan, make tempering + Saute garlic and baby spinach separately.
5. Add to dal in the IP and saute for 5 mins. Serve hot.

NUTRITION

Calories: 156kcal Carbohydrates: 25g Protein: 10gFat: 2g Saturated Fat: 0.3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 912mg Potassium: 503mg Fiber: 9g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 3310IU Vitamin C: 25mg Calcium: 69mg Iron: 3mg