Main image of Green Spinach Coconut Curry

Green Spinach Coconut Curry

8 hr + 55 min

Meal
Packed with spinach, two types of hearty legumes, and a lot of spices, this bright green curry is as delicious as it looks!

Servings

Total

8 hr + 55 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

45 min

Soak

8 hr

Free from

Soy symbol

soy

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Gluten symbol

gluten

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (90 g)
    dry chana dal, soaked overnight, drained*
  • 6 cups (1440 mL)
    boiling water
  • ½ cup (104 g)
    dry mung beans, soaked overnight, drained*
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    vegetable oil
  • 2
    medium onions, chopped
  • 4
    cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp (4 g)
    fresh ginger, minced
  • 1
    red hot chili, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    canned tomato paste
  • 1 tsp (3 g)
    ground cumin
  • 1 tsp (2 g)
    ground coriander
  • 1 tsp (2 g)
    garam masala
  • ½ tsp
    ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp
    salt
  • 1
    medium tomato, chopped
  • 8 cups (240 g)
    fresh spinach, divided
  • 1⅔ cups (399 mL)
    canned full-fat coconut milk
  • ½
    lemon, juiced

Serves well with

  • cooked rice
  • lemon slices
  • naan
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Directions

  1. To a large pot, add the drained chana dal and boiling water. Cook uncovered at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. Then add the drained mung beans to the same pot and let it cook uncovered for another 15 minutes.
  3. Heat another large pot over medium-high heat, and add the oil and onions. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.
  4. Add the garlic, and ginger and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
  5. Add in the chili, tomato paste, spices, and salt. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
  6. Add the chopped tomato to the pot and turn the heat to low, while you check on the legumes.
  7. Once the legumes are cooked, first remove ⅓ cup (80 mL) of the cooking liquid and transfer this to a blender. Then pour the legumes into a strainer to drain the liquid.
  8. Place half of the spinach to the blender as well, and blend on high until smooth.
  9. Returning to the pot with the onions, add in the blended spinach, together with the cooked chana dal, mung beans, and coconut milk.
  10. Return the heat to medium-high and let this heat up, while you chop the remaining half of the spinach. Add this to the pot as well, cooking for another 2 - 3 minutes, or until the spinach is softened.
  11. Just before serving, add in the lemon juice and stir.
  12. Serve the curry with rice or naan and some extra lemon wedges on the side, and enjoy!

Notes

  • * If using pre-cooked legumes, skip the first two steps and instead add them into the curry at the end.

Storage

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Let us know what you think

Plate method

The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.

Grains & Starches 0%
Proteins 38%

• dry chana dal

• dry mung beans

Fruits & Veggies 62%

• medium onion

• clove garlic

• fresh ginger

• red hot chili

• canned tomato paste

• medium tomato

• fresh spinach

• lemon

Calcium
No significant sources of calcium
Fat

• vegetable oil

• canned full-fat coconut milk

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

Rate this post

Chand - Jan. 25, 2022, 12:38 a.m.

This dal recipe has become a part of my regular rotation... I really like all of your recipes, but this has to one of the best tasting curry recipes I have ever had! I´m from India and rice and dal are a staple in my household, and I love this unique combination of the whole moong, chana and spinach!

PUL Team - Jan. 27, 2022, 1:55 a.m.

Such a massive compliment, Chand, thank you so much! Sending love to India ❣️

Reply
M - Oct. 24, 2021, 2:34 p.m.

This is so so so good. It's really different from the Aloo Matar curry from your site, though - at first I was disappointed because I was expecting it to taste like the Aloo Matar, but after a few moments I just loved it. It's lemony, light and a little spicy. The lemony flavours balance the earthiness of the dal and the spinach perfectly. Such a great recipe! Thank you so much!

PUL Team - Oct. 26, 2021, 4:31 a.m.

Aw we're so happy to hear this, M, thank you for taking the time to share the kind words 😃

Reply
Yelena - Sept. 20, 2021, 2:53 p.m.

Lovely simple recipe, and really good with many veggies you can find around the fridge.
Careful with the grains -- if you don't stir them and the water boils down, they can burn on the bottom of the pan ;)

Reply
Kanako - Aug. 8, 2021, 8:25 p.m.

I really like all of your recipes, but this turned out a little weird and I don’t understand why? I followed the recipe, used full-fat coconut milk and added A LOT of spices and it still tasted just spinach. I am just confused, still love pick up limes though!

PUL Team - Aug. 8, 2021, 11:33 p.m.

Hey, Kanako, oh sorry to hear this wasn't enjoyed! Thanks so much for sharing the feedback with us. May I ask, did you use fresh spinach or cooked/frozen spinach? If using fresh spinach, I have a few ideas: 1) It could be how much the cup was packed. 2) If the spinach was also a bit older, and not so fresh, the taste could be more strong perhaps. 3) Different varieties of spinach also taste more strongly than others. We used baby spinach, which tends to be a bit milder in taste. 4) Spinach can taste a bit more strong/bitter the longer it's cooked, so try not to overcook it. 5) The lemon can also really help with this dish to mellow out the flavours.

I hope this helps for now, and that you enjoy the recipe if you give it another try. And so glad you're enjoying other PUL recipes in the meantime. Thanks for being here, Kanako 🌻

Kanako - Aug. 10, 2021, 12:43 a.m.

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your answer and I look forward to try your other future recipes and videos. I am very grateful that I found you on YouTube, we should be thanking you☺️

Reply
Archana - July 26, 2021, 1:03 a.m.

Hi, I want to try this recipe. I was wondering if I can use the usual coconut milk instead of the canned one? Or if I can use the coconut creamer?

PUL Team - July 27, 2021, 6:42 p.m.

Hi Archana, thanks for the question! The canned full-fat coconut milk helps add a creamy base to the curry.

Coconut milk from a carton will have a lower fat amount so you may find the curry too watery and less flavourful. On the other hand, coconut creamer will have more fat so perhaps adding some water to dilute it will help if the curry is too creamy for your liking! Do let us know if you give the recipe a try ☺️

Reply
Maria - July 24, 2021, 8:31 p.m.

I absolutely love it!
I make at least once at month during the winter months 🙃

Reply
Samantha - July 12, 2021, 6:19 p.m.

I've this a few times already and it is so good. It also freezes decently so great for meal prep. We swap out for light coconut milk to limit the saturated fat content and still enjoy it.

PUL Team - July 16, 2021, 1:48 a.m.

Ooo thanks a bunch for sharing this, Samantha, super helpful!

Reply
Abi - July 10, 2021, 9:45 a.m.

This is my go to recipe these days, my husband and I love it completely. Thanks Sadia for coming up with such amazing recipes every time :)

PUL Team - July 15, 2021, 5:40 a.m.

Thank you, Abi, for the continued support and kindness 😃

Reply
Paulina - July 10, 2021, 1:17 a.m.

I've never had mungo beans prior to this recipe but I'm a fan now. Perfect for meal prepping as it holds well in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Reply
Lora - July 8, 2021, 10:15 p.m.

My husband and I tried this recipe a few months ago and we instantly fell in love with it. It is filling but not dense, and it has the perfect balance of flavors, especially if you add in lemon and cilantro at the end! Highly recommend :)

PUL Team - July 11, 2021, 3:23 p.m.

We're so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed the curry, Lora! Thank you ✨

Reply
Devika Mukesh - June 8, 2021, 1:32 p.m.

Hi, amazing recipe.
What do you use to calculate the nutrition info?

PUL Team - June 9, 2021, 5:39 a.m.

Thank you, Devika! We mainly estimate the nutritional information based on the displayed ingredients, which we have linked to entries in the USDA database. More information can be found in our Nutritional information disclosure here: pickuplimes.com/terms#nutriti… 🙂

Reply
Cris S - June 5, 2021, 4:44 p.m.

This was delicious for about three days!

Reply
Alexandra - May 27, 2021, 6:16 p.m.

This is one of my absolute favorite dishes from Pick Up Limes (and I have a lot :)) Thank you so much for your incredible work!
Much love from Germany

PUL Team - May 28, 2021, 2:10 a.m.

So happy to hear, Alexandra! Lots of love back to Germany ✨🤗

Reply
Bea - April 27, 2021, 10:04 a.m.

Can you please tell me if I can also freeze this meal. Thanks a million!

PUL Team - April 27, 2021, 4:31 p.m.

Hey Bea! We haven't personally tested it out, but curries like this generally freeze well. We'd recommend letting it cool completely before freezing and storing portions in an airtight container for up to 3 months 😀

Reply
Mennan - April 11, 2021, 7:42 p.m.

This recipe became the new speciality in my menu. Me and my partner are enjoying it to the fullest and I cooked it also for my friends and family and they enjoyed it as well. Thank you so much for this!

PUL Team - April 12, 2021, 4:34 a.m.

Thank you, Mennan, for leaving such a lovely review! We're so glad you, your partner, and your family are enjoying this one 😍

Reply
Lucy - March 30, 2021, 9:43 a.m.

I made this tonight for myself and hubby and it is amazing! Easy to make and it didnt take long to cook either.

PUL Team - April 3, 2021, 12:17 a.m.

Thank you for sharing, Lucy! So glad the curry was enjoyed 😃

Reply