Lucknowi Dal Shorba with Spinach and Paneer
A silky Awadhi-style lentil soup of moong and masoor dal, scented with cumin and ginger and finished with milk, spinach and tawa-seared paneer cubes.
- Region
- Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow)
- Status
- Adaptation — traditional dal shorba with spinach and paneer added to make it a full dinner
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min (pressure cooker)
- Serves
- 3 (about 380 ml each)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Light dinner, cold evenings, recovery days
- Tags
- High protein · Quick · Soy-free · Whey-free · No added sugar · Gluten-free* (soup only)
- Allergens
- Milk; gluten (toast)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 395 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorba with paneer | 335 | 22 g | 34 g | 12 g | 7 g | 7 g | 10 g | 6.5 g |
| Dinner plate: shorba, 1 slice whole-wheat toast | 395 | 25 g | 44 g | 13 g | 7 g | 8 g | 11 g | 6.0 g |
High protein. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 60 g yellow moong dal · 60 g masoor dal
- 150 g spinach, chopped · 60 g onion · 80 g tomato · 1 tbsp grated ginger · 3 garlic cloves
- 8 g ghee · 1 tsp cumin seeds · ½ tsp black pepper, crushed · ¼ tsp turmeric · ½ tsp roasted cumin powder · 5 g salt · 100 ml milk · 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 150 g full-fat paneer, in 1.5 cm cubes
- Plate: 3 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted
Method
- Pressure-cook both dals with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, turmeric and 800 ml water for 3 whistles.
- Blend until completely smooth; strain for a restaurant-silky finish (optional).
- Return to the pan with salt and 100 ml water. Simmer 5 minutes; add the spinach and cook 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile sear paneer on a dry non-stick tawa, 1 minute per side, until golden.
- Heat ghee; add cumin and pepper for 20 seconds; pour into the soup.
- Off the heat, stir in milk, roasted cumin and lemon. Ladle into bowls and top with paneer. Serve with toast.
Protein optimisation
- Paneer supplies 9 g per serving, the two dals 10 g, milk and spinach 2 g.
- Boost: increase paneer to 200 g (+3 g protein, +45 kcal, +3.5 g fat per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: classic Awadhi shorba — omit spinach and paneer; finish with a drizzle of cream (not counted here) and serve as a starter.
- Substitution: firm tofu cubes for paneer (dairy reduced; adds soy).
- Storage: soup keeps 3 days refrigerated without paneer; sear paneer fresh.
- Food safety: reheat soup until boiling; add milk after reheating.
- Meal prep: excellent.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com