Heat a teaspoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add toor dal and roast on a low – medium flame till light brown color and you get a nice aroma. Then add cumin seeds to it and roast for a few seconds.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add the red chillies and fry them for a few seconds on low heat. Set them aside.
In the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Add the washed spinach, turmeric and a pinch of sugar and mix well.
Saute until spinach is well cooked. Sprinkle little water if needed.
Turn off the flame and let it cool completely.
Peel and chop the onion into chunks and set aside.
Grind the roasted toor dal, roasted chillies and tamarind into a coarse powder.
Add the salt and cooked spinach and grind it to a coarse mixture by adding water little by little.
Now add the chopped onion and pulse the blender a couple of times. Do not grind the onions completely.
Transfer the chutney into a bowl.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan for seasoning.
Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the hing and red chilli.
Immediately pour this seasoned ingredients over the chutney and combine well.
Serve with hot steamed rice and ghee.
Notes
Make sure you roast the lentils on a low-medium flame to roast them completely. Just pulse the blender a couple of times after adding the onion. They will give the crunch and taste to the chutney.