Split Green Lentil with skin in Spinach sauce

                           
                          

Lentils are largest consumed food in Northern India. Excellent for any age group and easy to digest. It helps in lowering cholesterol and increasing energy. They come in different shapes, colors and sizes. I have cooked with all the lentils, however today I cook with "Split Green Lentil with Skin". This lentil is full of fiber and protein.  

I am a parent of a growing child and I am always looking to cook with tons of nutrients as well as flavors for her. Today I tried to cook these lentils in Spinach sauce which will be easy to digest and give her lots of energy. By adding spinach sauce, I added tons of Iron, Vitamin and other nutrients to the dish, making it a super power.

It came out amazing and I added cubes of Paneer to it for added taste and texture.

The end product of these ingredients together with added condiments is the most scrumptious entree eaten with Rice, Naan or Roti. Steps are given below.

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:
1 cup Split Green Lentil with Skin - soaked in 2 cups water for 30 minutes
3 cups Spinach - blanched in 5 cups boiling water and grounded into paste
handful of slivered almonds - soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
Puree of 5-6 tomatoes - boil tomatoes in enough water, remove the skin and grind. Makes 3 cups.
1 onion - finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 1/2 or 2 inch of ginger - finely chopped
1 tbsp oil
1-2 green chilies - finely chopped (adjust to taste)
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1 black cardamom pod
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin powder
7-8 cubes of Paneer to garnish
salt to taste (I used black salt/Himalayan salt)

Steps:

1. Pressure cook lentils in the soaked water, 1 cup of tomato puree, turmeric powder, salt to taste and red chilly powder. Turn off the heat after 2-3 whistles and set aside.
2. In a large skillet on medium heat, dry roast black cardamom pod, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Grind all the dry ingredients into a powder. 
3. Add 1 tsp of oil  and on medium heat add the powdered spices and hing/asafoetida. Stir the dry spices for 10 seconds and added chopped onions. Cook the onions till translucent and add finely chopped ginger, green chilies and garlic to it. Cook for 2 -3 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer onion/garlic/green chilly/ginger mix to a grinder. Grind the mix to a smooth paste.
4. In the same skillet on high heat add the remaining oil. Now turn the heat to medium and add cumin powder. Now add the remaining tomato puree and cook till the water almost dries out. Now add the onion paste to the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute..
5. Add the almond paste to the mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the spinach to the mix with coriander powder and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Now add the cooked lentils to the mix and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat or till the water dries out (this is when you can adjust the salt, if needed). Mix it all and cook for 5 more minutes. 
6. Once done add the paneer cubes. Cook for 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat. 
7. Sprinkle black pepper on the top and serve hot.

You can serve it with Rice, Naan or Roti. Squeeze few drops of lemon for added flavors and enjoy.