Roasted Moong Dal with Spinach

This recipe, from Madhur Jaffrey's A Taste of India, is part of SAVEUR's November 2017 cookbook club. Though we've tested this recipe in the SAVEUR test kitchen, we present it in its original, unedited form from the book. Says Jaffrey:

This earthy dish has a delightful flavour which comes from roasting the grains of dal before cooking them in water. In Bengal, it is generally served with rice and a fried vegetable — such as Delicious Fried Morsels — as a first or second course. You may serve is as part of any Indian meal.