Zucchini Lentil Salad

This Zucchini-Spinach-Lentil salad is more of a stir fry than a salad. I prepared it the same way I would do for various kinds of lentil "Sundal", and this dish felt enormously healthy :). When you have been eating outside for quite a while, you feel this need to cleanse your system and eat something that would make you feel extremely healthy, this happened on one such day soon after we moved into our new place and started cooking our own meals once again. I remember my delhi trip about 15 yrs back that lasted 10 days and that was the first time I probably realised I just couldn't eat out all the time, restaurant meals tire you out very soon :). So here is something that would make you feel really good and healthy - Zucchini Lentil salad

Ingredients

Serves - 2
Spice Level - Moderate
Prep Time - 20 minutes + 5 hrs of soaking time
Cook time - 10 minutes

1/2 cup mixed lentils [ I used moon dal, black eyed beans, cow-peas ]
Zucchini - 1 medium sized, cut into moon shaped pieces
Spinach - 150 gm, chopped roughly
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 Tsp
Dry Red chilli - 2
Curry leaves - 1 Sprig
Salt - as per need
Turmeric - a pinch
Oil - 1 Tsp

How do you do it

1. Soak the cow-peas and black eyed beans for about 4-5 hrs. Drain and pressure cook them until they are tender to bite. Also boil the moong dal with a pinch  of turmeric until tender but firm. We don't want any of the lentils to get mashed up while frying them

2. Boil Zucchini for about 2-3 minutes in the microwave and keep aside.

3. Heat a kadai with oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the jeera/urad dal and break the red chillies and add them in, let them roast. Add the curry leaves now.

4. Add the zucchini and spinach and saute them well with the tempering, wait for a few minutes for the spinach leaves to wilt.

5. Thrown in all the cooked lentils, required salt and stir it well and cook for a couple of minutes.

6. Take off flame and if you like, add a tsp of lime juice.

Serve this stir fry with any fruit juice of your choice for a healthy and filling dinner.