Spiced Coconut Spinach

This is a quick post for an easy, quick, and spinach-filled side dish. It’s the kind of thing I’m excited about – simple but bold in taste. Even better, all the ingredients come together in one pan. I came across this recipe for Spiced Coconut Spinach while flipping through Anjum Anand’s new book in early 2011. Not much more than ten minutes later we were seated with it as part of our meal. Since then I have cooked countless variations of in.

Spiced Coconut Spinach: The Technique

The key here is that all of your ingredients are cleaned, prepped and ready to use. You toast some spices, add a bunch of shredded spinach to the pan, and top it off with a squeeze of lemon juice and golden toasted coconut.

A few ideas

I think I’m so excited because it’s so versatile. While it’s a great site, I also like it in, on, and under a lot of things. A case in point next to one of those special quesadillas. It’s also great on an open veggie burger, in tacos, in a wrap, over brown rice or farro, etc. I also like to make a meal out of it with some grilled tofu, paneer, or fried egg. Let me know if you end up making it and what you do with it!

The Spice Profile & Variations

The cumin is really nice here, I’ve dialed it in over the years. My advice? Don’t skimp. The same goes for the pepper profile. I’ve added more over time, but it’s one of those things where you really just want to add it to your liking. I also discuss some other ideas in this list of variations.

• add-ins: I often add other extra quick cooking veggies to the pan along with my spinach. Thin pieces of asparagus work well, as do small florets of broccoli or cauliflower.
• Herb it up: If I have fresh herbs on hand — chopped cilantro, basil, chives, and/or dill — adding them after the spinach has cooked is a good way to experiment with the flavor profile.
• Swap out your chilies: Use a chopped serrano chilli in place of the red chili flakes for a greener spiciness.
• burst of ginger: Chop a small piece of peeled ginger along with the garlic and shallot paste if you love ginger.

cook spinach

The main thing to remember – resist the urge to overcook the spinach. You want to cook it just long enough for it to collapse, cook through, and lighten up. And remember that it will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat.

Hope you like this as much as I do. And thanks Anjum for the inspiration – I really enjoy the Ayurvedic perspective of this book.

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