I realize this may not sound entirely appetizing, but give this Indian side dish a chance and you’ll be surprised at how good something so simple can be.

It’s been a staple dish in my kitchen for years, and I actually don’t know where I learned how to make it. A cookbook? A friend? Either way, I have made some modifications to it, so I guess I can call the recipe my own.

You need:

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp kalonji

1 – 2 bird’s eye chilies (depending on how hot they are)

250 g of spinach (if deep-frozen – which I usually use – then defrosted, you’re not going to heat it)

3 dl (slightly more than a cup) yogurt (Turkish, Greek or whatever – it should be thick and contain about 8-10 % fat)

salt

1. Heat a pan until it’s really hot. Put the mustard seed and kalonji in it and roast them. It’ll only take about 30 s to a minute. Put them in a mortar and crush them.
2. Chop the chili very finely.
3. Mix chili, spices and spinach, adding a little salt to taste. Put it in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to settle.

Serve it as a side dish. It goes very well with something rice-based, like a vegetable biryani.