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Recipe

Palak and lemon dal

Plant iron is poorly absorbed on its own. The lemon at the end is not a garnish — it is the part that makes this dish worth eating for iron.

Time
35 minutes
Serves
4
Protein
11 g
Fibre
8 g

Ingredients

  • 1 cup toor dal
  • 3 cups palak (spinach), chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 tsp jeera
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1 tbsp ghee or oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt to taste

Method

Step 1

Pressure cook the dal with turmeric and salt until soft.

Step 2

Heat ghee, add jeera, then ginger and green chilli.

Step 3

Add tomato and cook until it breaks down.

Step 4

Add the chopped palak and cook only until it wilts — two minutes, no more.

Step 5

Combine with the cooked dal and simmer briefly.

Step 6

Take off the heat, then add the lemon juice. Adding it while cooking destroys much of the vitamin C.

Spinach also contains oxalates, which reduce absorption. This dish helps; it is not a substitute for testing ferritin.

Why it works

Lemon after the heatVitamin C can increase absorption of plant iron several-fold. Heat degrades it, so it goes in at the end.
No tea with this mealTannins in tea and coffee bind iron. Move chai an hour away from an iron-focused meal.
Palak briefly cookedLong cooking loses folate and vitamin C. Two minutes is enough.

Nutrition, per serving

Approximate values. Actual figures vary with portion and ingredients.
EnergyProteinCarbohydrateFatFibre
220 kcal11 g30 g6 g8 g

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