Instead, Indian food treats arugula in the same ways it does mustard greens or methi(fenugreek leaves): stirred into dals, turned into parathas, blended to make chutneys, or tossed into curries at the last moment as a sharp, fresh accent. That means you aren’t just eating “salad greens” for health’s sake–you also get real flavor, layered with cumen, garlic, chilli and ginger. An arugula Indian recipe takes something that’s already inside your refrigerator and helps it feel like a deliberate, full-fledged dish.
If you think of arugula as simply a bitter green more interesting than iceberg, as an ingredient to toss into salads to provide a splash of colour and a little zing, then eat it with your own style. We’re not going to take that away from you–after all, everybody gets something good out of life. So expect instead that these Indian recipes will offset arugula’s bite with fat (ghee or oil),
acid (lemon, tamarind or tomato) and heat (green chillies, red chilli powder, or whole dried chillies): the final dish should taste complex rather than sharp. Whether you are throwing arugula leaves in a spiced lentil stew, putting them into a shoat bread, or concocting them as some punchy green chutney–each arugula Indian recipe is out to show this leaf is far more versatile than its usual salad duties would suggest.
Arugula Indian Recipe From DishBloom!
Spiced Arugula Dal (Indian-Style Lentils with Arugula)
Equipment
- Medium saucepan with lid
- Small frying pan (for tadka/tempering)
- Cutting board and knife
- Ladle or spoon
- Small bowl (optional, for rinsing lentils)
Ingredients
- For the dal:
- 1 cup yellow lentils toor dal or moong dal
- 3 cups water plus more as needed
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato chopped (or ½ cup canned)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1- inch piece ginger minced or grated
- 1 –2 green chilies slit or finely chopped (adjust to heat preference)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ –1 teaspoon salt to taste
- Arugula:
- 2 –3 cups fresh arugula roughly chopped (packed; about 60–80 g)
- Tempering tadka:
- 1½ –2 tablespoons ghee or neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds optional but recommended
- 2 dried red chilies optional
- 6 –8 fresh curry leaves optional, if you have them
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or Kashmiri chili powder for color + mild heat
- To finish optional but nice:
- Juice of ½ lemon or lime
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Extra arugula for garnis
Instructions
- Extra arugula for garnish: You really want it even simpler? Fine. Here’s the “I can barely be bothered” version:
- Boil lentils: Rinse 1 cup lentils, boil with 3 cups water + ½ tsp turmeric until soft.
- Add veggies + aromatics: Add chopped onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chili. Cook till soft. Add salt.
- Add arugula: Stir in chopped arugula, cook 2–3 minutes till wilted.
- Make spice oil: Heat ghee/oil, add cumin + mustard seeds, let pop. Add dried chili, curry leaves, then chili powder. Turn off heat.
- Combine: Pour spice oil into dal, add lemon juice, stir, eat with rice or roti.
Notes
-
On arugula’s bitterness:
If your arugula is very mature and bitter, blanch it first in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, squeeze out excess water, then chop and add to the dal. Or just admit you like bitter things and move on. -
Lentil swaps:
Toor dal, moong dal, or masoor dal all work. Cooking time will vary slightly; cook until soft and mashable. -
Spice level:
Reduce or skip green chilies and dried red chilies for a milder dal. Or keep them all and add more—just don’t complain that it’s spicy. -
Vegan option:
Use oil instead of ghee for the tadka. -
Texture control:
If you like smoother dal, mash it a bit with the back of a ladle or whisk before adding arugula. If you like it chunkier, leave it as is. 
Share Your Twist!
Did you add in spinach with the arugula, swap lentils, add paneer, or inadvertently produce the best arugula Indian recipe known to humankind? Drop your version, tweaks, and “happy accidents” in the comments. What did you change, and will you actually make it again, or was it a one-time experiment?