Spinach & Dill Daal

I learned to make this type of daal from a friend's grandmom. Every time I went over to meet my friend, she would insist I stay over to eat and then treat me to some delicacies. She knew what a foodie I was so she always invited me into her sacred place - her kitchen to watch her cook. She had a helper/kitchen assistant to wash, cut and peel but occasionally, she let me do that too. "Get your hands dirty first. Feel the dirt of the vegetables. It is only then that you will appreciate this ingredient and cherish its taste!". She was so right. Even today, I love heading over to the farmer's markets and picking out dirt-coated vegetables. I like how they feel and how good they smell.
For this dish, we are using 3 powerful ingredients. One herb (dill), one leafy vegetable (spinach) and one protein packed powerhouse (moong daal). This dish has minimum spices. In fact, it's ridiculously easy to make and yet, tastes sooo good!

Ingredients

100 gms baby spinach washed and drained
3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (if you can't find fresh, use dried)
1.5 teacup moong daal washed, soaked for 30 minutes
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
3 green chilies finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon grated jaggery
1/2 lime
2 tablespoons ghee ( add oil to make it vegan)
Water


Method
 In a big, deep vessel, add the moong daal, water, a pinch of asafoetida, green chilies, ginger, dill and allow to cook.

When it's almost cooked, add the turmeric powder and jaggery.

Next, add the spinach. And allow to simmer on low for 20 minutes.

For the tempering, in a small vessel, add ghee (or oil), ajwain and cumin seeds. When the seeds start spluttering, add this into the daal. Be careful, the daal can splutter, so keep a safe distance.

Stir the contents.

Add salt, stir and allow to simmer on low, covered for 8-10 minutes.

Before serving, squeeze the lime. This adds the Vitamin C that helps your body absorb all the iron from this dish:)

Serve with brown rice with a side of stir - fried potatoes for a complete meal.