Soppina Huli (Spinach in Coconut Sambar Gravy)

  Soppina Huli (tangy and spicy curry of greens) is a karnataka favorite coconut based sambar curry. It is that kind of a curry where you want to lick off the whole plate and then continue doing so off your fingers :):) before you give out a burp :):) Soul satisfying indeed.

The blend of whole spices with grated coconut along with tamarind pulp and jaggery makes this a unique dish. Lastly the ultimate stupendo- fantabulous tempering acts like a showstopper to take this curry's taste to another level. It goes very well with rice, roti, idlis, dosa etc. Beautiful part of this preparation is you can use any major green leafy vegetable or a combination of it. You can also makes use of squashes, potatoes, pumpkin, turnips etc!

I have used spinach in my curry preparation. Traditionally this is made with amaranth leaves (lal bhaji, keera), or mix of amaranth leaves, dill leaves, spinach etc. So feel free to use whatever you have at hand and make this delicious curry.

One morning as I was getting out of my bed, I thought of making spinach curry using coconut (something different than usual) with rice and plantain sabji. I was sipping on my tea while browsing through my instagram pics, came across Sia's recipe of harive soppina huli from monsoon spice blog. I couldn't think beyond that, I had to make the curry. Eyes set, mind set all I had to do was execute it.

I have also purchased this Instant Pressure Pot an Electric Multi-functional pressure cooker, during black friday sale and I was in a mood to start experimenting with it. So that was that... droolicious curry in IP pot :) Came out fantastic.....:)

I have mentioned how to make this dish in both ways, Stove top and IP way.

Without any further delay, let us take a look at this Soppina Huli Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb frozen spinach (or fresh)
• 1/2 cup yellow moong dal soaked for 15 minutes (1 cup if already cooked) - Originally toovar dal is used but I use yellow moong dal in most of my cooking.
• 15 cherry tomatoes or  (3 medium tomatoes)
• 4-5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
• 1/2 tbsp jaggery (adjust as per taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing) (Optional)
• salt to taste

For Coconut Paste:

• 3/4 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
• 1 large marble sized tamarind pulp or ¾ tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds (dhania)
• 3-5 dry red chillies
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp urad dal (split blackgram dal)
• 1 1/2 tsp chana dal (split chickpeas)
• 1 inch cinnamon stick 
• 3-4 cloves
• 1/2 tbsp oil (optional coconut oil)

For Tadka/Tempering: (to bring that authentic taste)- one can skip it to keep it simple and subtle.

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4-6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
• 2 dry red chillies broken into pieces
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• few curry leaves
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tbsp oil (preferably coconut oil)

Preparation:

Method 1: Using Instant Pot:

 

• Keep yellow moong dal soaked for 30 minutes, drain out the water and keep aside.
• Keep frozen spinach aside (ready to use). If you have fresh spinach, clean, wash, chop roughly and keep aside.
• Get your wet coconut curry paste ready by heating 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, urad dal, chana dal, black pepper and dry red chillies. Roast them on medium flame for about a minute or two until the spices are nicely roasted and change color. 
• Transfer the roasted spices to the mixer or food processor jar and add freshly grated or frozen coconut and tamarind pulp. Add about 1/4 -1/2 cup of water and grind it to a smooth thick paste. Keep it aside.
• Start your Instant pot and put it on saute mode. 
• Once the indicator turns on, add oil, add garlic cloves, stir quickly, add tomatoes and stir again for a minute, add turmeric, jaggery, hing, saute quickly for few seconds.
• Now dump the frozen spinach into it. Also add the yellow moong dal and pour the wet coconut masala into it. Add 1-2 cups of water to thin it out, mix everything and add salt. 
• Close the lid. Change the setting from saute to Manual mode. And set it for 10 minutes. ( If you have moong dal that is already cooked, then set the timing to 5 minutes)
• Let it release the steam by natural process (NPR). It will take about 15 minutes.
• Open the lid, stir everything again and your curry is ready. Adjust water and salt accordingly.
• If you want to keep the curry simple, there is no need for additional tadka. 
• But to get that authentic taste and extra flavors you will have to add this fantastic tadka to it.
• Prepare the tadka by heating oil in a pan. Once hot, add the sliced garlic and fry them until they turn golden brown. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilli. As the mustard seeds pop and splutter, add hing and curry leaves and fry them for 15-20 seconds. Next add the thinly sliced onion and sauté until they turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, on medium flame. 
• Turn off the flame and transfer the tadka to the spinach gravy and cover with the pot so that the flavors stay in. 
• Enjoy this fantastic soul comforting Soppina Huli gravy with rice or any kind of flat bread. Add a dollop of ghee over it for ultimate pleasure :):)

Method 2: On the stove top

• Wash the spinach bunch thoroughly and separate the leaves from stems. Chop it roughly and keep aside. Place the chopped leaves and stems in a pressure cooker pan along with washed tomatoes, turmeric, jaggery, peeled garlic cloves and salt to taste.
• Wash the moong dal, add the dal to pressure cooker pan along with spinach leaves. Add about 5 cups of water, close the lid and pressure cook on medium flame for 3-4 whistles.
• Peel and slice the onion and garlic cloves for tadka and keep them aside until needed.
• Prepare the coconut paste. Heat 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, urad dal, chana dal, black pepper and dry red chillies. Roast them on medium flame for about a minute or two until the spices are nicely roasted and change colour.
• Transfer the roasted spices to mixer or food processor jar and add freshly grated or frozen coconut and tamarind pulp. Add about 1/4 -1/2 cup of water and grind it to smooth thick paste. Keep it aside.
• Once the dal is cooked, gently open the lid once the pressure is released completely. Mash the dal and tomatoes with a help of a masher or with the back of ladle. Place the pan on the gas and bring the dal to gentle boil on medium heat.
• Add the coconut paste and about 2-3 cups of water depending on how thick you prefer the gravy to be. Adjust the seasonings and reduce the heat to low to let the gravy simmer for 8-10 mins.
• As the gravy is simmering, prepare the tadka by heating oil in a pan. Once hot, add the sliced garlic and fry them until they turn golden brown. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilli. As the mustard seeds pop and splutter, add hing and curry leaves and fry them for 15-20 seconds. Next add the thinly sliced onion and sauté until they turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, on medium flame.
• Turn off the flame and transfer the tadka to the simmering gravy. Mix well and turn off the flame. Cover and let the gravy rest for 10-15 minutes for the flavours to blend well.
• Enjoy this fantastic soul comforting Soppina Huli gravy with rice or any kind of flat bread. Add a dollop of ghee over it for ultimate pleasure :):)

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

You may also enjoy other greens and leafy vegetable curries like:

Lal Bhaji (Amaranth leaves curry), 

Methichi bhaji, 

Mooli pachadi, 

Palak Paneer,

Vali Bhaji (Vietnamese Spinach Coconut Curry) etc

Health Benefits: 

Spinach has a high content of vitamin K and is useful for protein modification and plays an important role in protecting bones from osteoporosis. Spinach is also high in fiber, which helps break down food and keeps your digestive system moving.One cup of spinach is all you need to get a full day’s requirement of vitamin A. That’s good news for your tired eyes. Very rich in iron content, that’s why vegetarians and anemics are encouraged to eat lots of spinach for healthy blood and proper red blood cell production.If you are prone to asthma attacks or have difficulty breathing, include spinach in your diet. The beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium in spinach all have anti-asthmatic properties.