Mung beans with greens

Based off a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.
Serve this with naan or the lemon rice featured below. Yum!

5 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/8 tsp ground asafetida (you can substitute a few cloves of garlic)
1/4 tsp whole fenugreek seeds (these are also readily available at Indian grocers. If unavailable, you may want to try just a TINY splash of imitation maple extract, as fenugreek is used to make this. Warning: it will make the dish sweeter, and I've never actually tried this myself, but several people online suggest it as a substitution.)
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (aka methi - you can find these at Indian grocers. If you don't have one, you can make the recipe without, but it won't be as interesting)
1.5-2 lbs spinach
1 cup hulled, split mung beans (you can find these in many specialty markets - I used the hulled split variety, but you can use the whole, green variety - they just take a bit longer to cook)
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1.5 tsp salt, or to taste
2 thin slices of peeled, fresh ginger, cut into fine slivers (you can substitute 1/2 tsp ground ginger if you don't have fresh on hand)
2 - 4 tbsp of finely chopped onion (depending on how onion-y you like your food)
2 fresh hot green chiles (I used serrano, which turned out a bit spicier than I intended. You may want to reduce, substitute a milder chile, or omit if you are not a big fan of spicy food.)

Put 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Ten seconds later, put in the asafetida and fenugreek seeds. Stir once and quickly put in the spinach, methi leaves, mung beans, turmeric, and 4 cups water. Stir and bring to boil, watching carefully that it does not boil over. Decrease heat to low, and partially cover. Cook for about 40 minutes, until beans are tender. Add the salt and mix. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
While the bean mixture is cooking, put the remaining 3 tbsp of oil in a small frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the ginger, onions, and chiles. Stir and cook until the onion browns, then empty the contents into the pot with the beans and greens.