Spinach coconut soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon (preferable) brown mustard seeds (or black)
• 1 red chili
• 2 Tej patta leaves (from Indian grocer, or use bay leaves)
• 1 green chili 
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon yellow hing
• 1 bunch of spinach, chopped
• coconut milk (see below for DIY coconut milk)
• 2 Tablespoons flour 
• 1/4 cup water
• salt, as desired

PREPARATION:

1. Make a chaunk with the ghee, mustard, chili and tej patta.
2. After mustard pops, add the green chili, ginger and hing.
3. Add the spinach and stir around in the spices a minute.
4. Pour in enough coconut milk to cover the spinach. Cook about 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, add slowly the 1/4 cup water to the flour, stirring out any lumps.
6. Add the flour mixture to the spinach soup.
7. Cook about 10 minutes more to thicken and get out any raw flour flavor.
8. Add salt. A rule of thumb is 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every cup of finished soup.

DIY COCONUT MILK from dried coconut

Let coconut soak in boiled water for at least 1 hr or preferably overnight.

Blend and strain out the liquid to use for coconut milk

Variations : Put dry coconut early on in beginning of cooking. Softened and no waste product

Use 1/4 fresh ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon minced ginger for a nightshade free version, omitting the chilies