No-Oil Toor Dal and Spinach with Dry-Toasted Tarka

Other Fast Without Oil Published June 13, 2026

Toor dal — split pigeon peas — cooks into a thick, golden purée with a gentle earthy sweetness, and a fistful of spinach stirred in at the end turns it into a complete strict-day meal. Most dals lean on a sizzling oil-and-ghee tarka for their final flourish; here we get the same aromatic punch by dry-toasting whole spices in a hot pan until they crackle and pop, then tipping them straight into the pot. No oil, no compromise — just clean, ringing spice over a bowl of protein-dense dal.

Lemon and fresh ginger keep everything bright, and the spinach adds iron and body. Eaten with rice or flatbread, this is the kind of food that holds you through a long evening of services without weighing you down.

On oil days, bloom the tarka spices in 2 tablespoons of hot oil for a richer, rounder finish. There is no fish version here — the dal stands entirely on its own.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast Without Oil (oil-day note below)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 250g (about 1 1/4 cups) toor dal (split pigeon peas), rinsed
- 1.2 liters (5 cups) water, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1/2 can chopped tomatoes)
- 150g (about 3 cups loosely packed) fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 8-10 curry leaves (optional, fresh or dried)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt, to taste
- Chopped fresh cilantro, to serve

METHOD

1. Put the toor dal, water, and turmeric in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dal is completely soft and breaking down. Add water as needed to keep it loose.

2. While the dal cooks, sweat the onion in a separate dry pan with 3 tablespoons of water over medium heat for 6 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, and tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more, splashing in water as needed, until the tomatoes collapse into a thick paste.

3. Stir the onion-tomato mixture into the cooked dal. Add the spinach and simmer for 5 minutes until wilted. Season generously with salt.

4. For the dry tarka: heat a small dry pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin, mustard, and coriander seeds, asafoetida, chili flakes, and curry leaves. Toast, shaking the pan constantly, for 1-2 minutes until the mustard seeds pop and everything is intensely fragrant. Watch closely so nothing burns.

5. Immediately tip the toasted spices into the dal and stir through. Add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust salt and acid.

6. Serve over rice or with flatbread, scattered with cilantro.

NOTES

- On oil days, toast the tarka spices in 2 tablespoons of hot oil or coconut oil instead of a dry pan, pouring oil and spices together over the dal.
- Red lentils (masoor dal) work as a faster substitute — they cook in about 18 minutes.
- For more heat, add a slit green chili to the dal in step 1.
- The dal thickens as it sits; loosen with hot water when reheating.