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Arugula Indian Recipe

Spiced Arugula Dal (Indian-Style Lentils with Arugula)

A simple arugula Indian recipe where peppery arugula is wilted into a gently spiced lentil dal. It’s cozy, protein-rich, and a good way to use a big bag of arugula without pretending you love salad.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 3
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 250
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

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

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan with lid
  • Small frying pan (for tadka/tempering)
  • Cutting board and knife
  • Ladle or spoon
  • Small bowl (optional, for rinsing lentils)

Method
 

  1. Extra arugula for garnish: You really want it even simpler? Fine. Here’s the “I can barely be bothered” version:
  2. Boil lentils: Rinse 1 cup lentils, boil with 3 cups water + ½ tsp turmeric until soft.
  3. Add veggies + aromatics: Add chopped onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chili. Cook till soft. Add salt.
  4. Add arugula: Stir in chopped arugula, cook 2–3 minutes till wilted.
  5. Make spice oil: Heat ghee/oil, add cumin + mustard seeds, let pop. Add dried chili, curry leaves, then chili powder. Turn off heat.
  6. Combine: Pour spice oil into dal, add lemon juice, stir, eat with rice or roti.
    Arugula Indian Recipe

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.
  • Arugula Indian Recipe