Spinach and Fenugreek with Black Lentils (Hot Oil Sizzle Finish)

I’ve known that not too many cook Fenugreek leaves, but it’s common at least in my home, especially in winter. 

I made it with spinach and black lentils, and it became thick and earthy, which is completely different from regular spinach dishes.

The dish finishes with a hot oil pour right before serving, and that part is what makes it; without it, it’ll taste good, but with it, it’s the best.

Ingredients

For the greens:

• 600 grams fresh spinach
• 300 grams fresh fenugreek leaves
• 100 grams split black gram (sold as “black lentils” or “urad dal” in Indian grocery stores)
• 10 to 12 green chilies, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2-inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 150 grams water

For the hot oil finish:

• 80 grams oil (about 6 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 pinches asafoetida
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 dried red chilies

How to Make Spinach and Fenugreek

Clean and Chop the Greens

Remove the thicker stems from both the spinach and fenugreek leaves, wash them thoroughly to remove trap dirt in the folds, plus you’ll want to rinse a few times, then chop everything as finely as you can. 

I used scissors instead of a knife for this quantity, because soft leaves bunch and slide under a blade while scissors let you cut through the whole pile in the bowl. 

Prep Everything Else

Wash the split black gram and set it aside to drain, and then finely chop the green chilies, garlic, and ginger so they can cook properly.

Cook and Mash

Add the chopped greens into the pressure cooker, then add the split black gram, green chilies, garlic, ginger, salt, and 150 grams of water. 

Stir everything before closing the lid to distribute salt and spices through the greens. 

Close the lid and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 whistles, take the cooker off the heat, and let the pressure drop naturally before opening. 

Once you open the lid, the greens will have reduced a lot, and the split black gram will be fully soft. 

So, mash everything together with a spoon until the texture is consistent throughout, with no large leaf pieces remaining.

Make the Hot Oil Finish

Have all the spices measured and ready, because the whole process takes less than two minutes.

So, heat 80 grams of oil in a small pan on high heat until it shimmers.

Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle for about 10 seconds. 

Add the asafoetida, which will dissolve into the oil immediately, then add the chopped garlic and stir constantly until it turns golden. 

It’ll take about 30 to 40 seconds on high heat, then add the dried red chilies, let them sizzle for 5 to 10 seconds until they darken slightly, then take the pan off the heat.

Pour everything from the pan, oil and all the spices, over the mashed greens while everything is still sizzling, and do it in one go; stir it through.

That’s it, a delicious spinach and fenugreek recipe with Black Lentils will be ready to serve.

What Makes This Dish Worth Making

Fenugreek leaves have a bitterness, but it softens during pressure cooking; that’s why it tastes more like a deep and earthy undertone. 

Plus, it has a 600-gram-to-300-gram spinach-to-fenugreek ratio that keeps it balanced, with the spinach’s sweetness offsetting the fenugreek so neither flavor dominates. 

Besides this, we have split black gram, which makes the mashed greens feel like a full dish. It thickens the mash, adds protein, and absorbs the flavor of everything around it during pressure cooking, and we use tempering to add a smoky, spiced flavour.

You should try it if you want something unique, or if you’re growing vegetables at home; this will be something new.

How to Serve This

You can eat this over plain white rice, which is the most natural pairing, but I had it with flatbread (made of rice flour). 

However, if you’re feeling too much heat from the green and dried chilies, you can add a bowl of plain yogurt on the side to soften it without diluting the rest of the flavor.

For another vegetable dish on this blog that uses the same hot oil technique, see the okra recipe with cumin and asafoetida.

How to Store and Reheat

You can keep the cooked greens in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. 

When you reheat, add a little bit of water and stir it in before turning the heat on. Besides this, don’t store the hot oil finish with the greens if you’re making this ahead. 

The garlic in it continues to cook from the residual heat and loses its fresh aroma within a few hours, so make a fresh batch of the oil finish right before you serve the reheated greens.

Questions About This Recipe

I can’t find fresh fenugreek leaves nearby

You can check Amazon first for dried fenugreek leaves, which are easy to order. 

If you want fresh fenugreek, visit a nearby Indian grocery store and ask for “methi” or “fresh fenugreek” at the counter. 

If you end up using dried instead of fresh, use about a third of the quantity listed because dried fenugreek is much more concentrated in flavor. 

Soak the dried leaves in a little hot water for a few minutes before adding them to the cooker.

My dish came out too bitter; what do I do?

You probably used too much fenugreek relative to the spinach. I’ve used twice the spinach compared to fenugreek specifically because of that bitterness balance. 

If it’s already made and too bitter, stir in two or three tablespoons of plain yogurt, or you can squeeze in some lemon juice. 

Both will cut the bitter edge quickly without changing the overall flavor of the dish.

What exactly is asafoetida and can I skip it?

Asafoetida has a strong smell from the tin, but it mellows completely after hitting hot oil; it adds a savory depth to the finish that’s hard to describe but easy to taste. 

You can find it at any Indian grocery store, usually in a small yellow tin labeled “asafoetida” or “hing.” If you can’t find it, just skip it. 

This dish will still taste good without it, and there’s no substitute that replicates what it does, so there’s no point in replacing it with something else.