Cook the lentils: Wash your lentils and place them in a large pot with 3 cups of water. Place this over medium heat and let the lentils simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are tender. You can also do this step in a pressure cooker like an instant pot. To do that simply use the same amount of water and let it pressure cook for 9 minutes. Once the lentils are cooked transfer them to a bowl and set them aside.

Fry the aromatics: Add the 2 tablespoons of oil/ghee to a large pot and place it over medium-high heat. Once the pot is hot toss in the spices, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers. Sautee all of these ingredients for 30 seconds. Then toss in the onion and continue to saute everything for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Finish the dish: Pour the cooked lentils along with the liquid into the pot and stir. You might want to also add a cup or two of water depending on how thick or thin you prefer your dal. Then add in the tomato and spinach, and stir until everything is incorporated. Let everything simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes or until the spinach has wilted and cooked. Finally, add salt to taste.

Ladle some of the spinach dal into a bowl and enjoy!