Brain Healthy Recipes

Return Spinach Dhal
Spinach Dhal

Split peas and other legumes are rich in folic acid, which has been shown to improve verbal and memory performance, and may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Spinach and garlic have brain benefits as well.

Type: Salads and Sides
 
Tip: 
Split peas and other legumes are rich in folic acid, which has been shown to improve verbal and memory performance, and may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Spinach and garlic have brain benefits as well.

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 1 cup yellow split peas or split moong dal, soaked overnight in water
  • 1 whole hot pepper of your choice
  • 3 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
  • 2 Tbsps vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds (can substitute brown or yellow mustard seeds)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • Salt to taste

Preparation

  1. Rinse soaked peas twice, drain, and add to a 4 or 5 quart pot. Add 5 cups water and the whole hot pepper and stir.
  2. Cover pot, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Let peas cook until you have the consistency of a pea soup. Most of the peas should have melted; use the back of your spoon to mash.
  3. Once the desired consistency has been reached, add the spinach and season the peas with salt to taste. Cover and reduce heat to low.
  4. While the peas are simmering, heat oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Toss in mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the cumin and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the garlic and cook until it just starts to color.
  5. Remove spice mixture from heat and pour the contents into the simmering dhal. Stir everything together and let it simmer for one minute more.
  6. Remove from heat and serve with rice, roti, or bread—or eat it as a soup.

 

  1. ABOUT THE BLOGGER
    Cynthia Nelson: tasteslikehome.org
    Cynthia Nelson has been a media professional for more than 17 years. She has travelled extensively through the Caribbean, savoring and learning the cuisine of the region. Born in Guyana, she is currently based in Barbados and is a tutor of mass communication. Cynthia's musings on food and life appear regularly in publications in the Caribbean and North America. She is the author of the cookbook Tastes Like Home by Ian Randle publishers, released in 2010, and the award-winning blog, Tastes Like Home.

 

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