Spiced Coconut Spinach

Saw your recipe today, and strangely, we have a surfeit of coconut in the house right now: canned shredded, and two whole ones. I would add some baked pecan and coconut crusted tofu for your protein.
Cannot wait to try your recipe!

In Sri Lankan cuisine, it is very common to make this dish with any sort of leafy-green vegetable – it is called “mallung”.

This looks wonderful and so different! I have never thought to pair coconut with spinach like you have done here. I will have to try it sometime.

I made this yesterday and liked it so much that I made it again today. Today I made it without the asparagus but I added some dried cranberries just before removing it from the skillet. Delicious and so easy. Definitely a keeper.

This sounds delicious! I have some swiss chard on hand. I think I’ll make it with that!

Your photography is mouthwatering. Can’t wait to make the real thing?

It’s really delicious! thank you for having reminded the recipe. I saw it a few months ago (in Anjoum’s ‘The super-healthy diet’), but I’ve never tested it…now it’s done.
(and I love your new book too!)
Greetings from Switzerland!

Where can you get unsweetened coconut? I want to make this tonight. Just bought wonderful organic spinach at the farmers market this a.m.

I can’t wait to try this! I’m making it tonight, adding the mushies from the fridge and serving alongside grilled fish. Just the sort of simple, vegetable-rich meal my boyfriend and I love.

Love, love the combination of spinach and coconut! It looks mouthwatering.

This was delicious! I tweeked it a little with the spices and maybe undercooked the spinach a bit to not over cook it but it was so good! My boyfriend and I loved it and can’t wait to make it again! Soooo fast to.

Heidi,
New reader, but just wanted to say I love your site. I am constantly trying to find healthy but innovative recipes and I feel like I hit the jackpot with yours! I just moved very close to Berkeley Bowl and it’s my goal to try every item in their gigantic produce section..with your recipes I just may do it.

I just made this for my hubby and I to share. I was out of sunflower oil so I subed in grapeseed oil. And instead of mustard I used curry. Hubby just walked through the house saying that smells……gooooooood! I left out the asparagus but will probably add it next time along with the mustard seed but it was really tasty the way I made it. The coconut makes this wonderfully unique dish.

Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe.

Just made this for dinner and it was incredible. I’m so happy.

Yum! All my favorites in one. Can’t wait to try it. Thinking of taking it on a road trip. Will it keep well as left overs? Thanks.
HS: I think it’s best served just cooked. That said, don’t let me discourage you!

FYI- In Swahili cooking, its common to cook spinach in coconut milk, along with a base of some onions, tomatoes and some peppers. (other veggies are commonly added).

How lovely. I adore coconut and know I would really enjoy this, so thanks!

Awesome recipe. I love Ayurvedic ideas!

Love this idea..This dish is so pretty!

Hi reminds me of a dish long ago I remember makng wraps of raw spinach leaves filled with coconut, crushed peanuts, finely chopped green onions, tiny dried shrimp, several others , all drizzled with honey yum do you know of this dish? Thanks, love your site.

I made this for dinner last night. Used coconut oil instead of the butter or veg oil. Turned out delicious anyway! What an amazing, healthy recipe.
THanks!

i really enjoy the simplicity here. thanks for sharing!

Thanks, Heidi. This was delicious. I served it on top of quinoa and put cubed avocado on top. Yum. I just ordered your new cookbook. It should be here tomorrow and I’m excited!

This is what I love about your recipes. Got into the kitchen with this recipe and substituted so many ingredients I made something entirely different – but just as delicious! Followed the process though, and the seasonings – almost! Thanks for the inspiration – at least it gets me experimenting! Cheers x

Oh my that looks simply wonderful!
I love wilted spinach, typically I put bacon in mine..lol..
Maybe I’d better try this healthier version!

I think would also be great with the spinach left raw,

This was incredible. I’ve never liked asparagus, but I’ve been trying to befriend it since it is an early spring treat (or so I’ve heard)… and in this dish, the spices allowed the bitterness of the asparagus to mellow in their wake!
I had to make some subs, didn’t have all the seeds handy or shallots, so used some spring onions to saute (rather than paste) and coriander with cumin.
Will make this again and again!

Love this! Sadly, my hubby does not at all like the texture of cooked spinach, but on the bright side, more for me! I loved this mix of flavors and I think I will try the same technique with some different veggies next time.

I have to try this recipe! I liked the spinach.

I made this last night, OMG! It was delicious! I could have eaten the whole thing. I served it with quinoa and walked some up to my sister’s house in the side yard. She told me this morning she ate the whole plate, and that was after she had already had her own supper. I did use asparagus too.
Thank you so much, I just love your blog! The most interesting food ideas, among other things.

I am a huge fan of Indian spinach dishes. There is an amazing restaurant in my hometown of Stellenbosch (South Africa) called Bhukara where they have this pureed spinach as a side dish. Never been able to copy it! But the flavours you used for your spinach sounds like it might get close, so I’ll have to try it!

What a lovely combination of ingredients! It looks like a great dinner party dish too. Can’t wait to try it.

This look delish! And from a British chick (Anjum) too! Bonus!
I have two of her books and love them both to bits!

I can’t wait to try this recipe! Spinach is a part of our daily menu, somehow, someway, and the coconut addition sounds very exciting!

Another winning dish from you, Heidi! Thanks for rescuing the spinach in my frig from the same old recipe tonight.

Simple, but not boring, recipes are my favorite. This looks so interesting!

I’ve followed your blog for a few months now and have been in awe of your ability to throw seemingly random flavours together to make something absolutely delicious. I tried this recipe last night as a side to the pappardelle with spiced butter and it was a happy dinner indeed. Thank you for inspiring us!
HS: Sounds like a great combo Reva!

I would have never thought of putting spinach and coconut together but since they are two of my favorite things I’ll have to try this one. Great photos as always.

wow! YES PLEASE! great recipe!

I really like the way you showed a way you would serve this as a lunch or supper. One less decision to make tonight. Thx.

Instead of red chilli flakes, powdered black pepper 1]2 teaspoon can be added. while seasoning, pinch of asofoetida can be added.

I was thinking about taking a stab at homemade paneer cheese this weekend and this sounds like the perfect accompaniment. And even if the cheese doesn’t turn out, at least I know I’ll have a delicious meal anyway. Thanks for sharing!

This sounds like a heavenly combination of flavours. I adore cumin seeds and to pair that with coconut and spinach must be so delicious! I can’t wait to try this.

P.S. Yes, whole dish all eaten up by my lonesome! Fabulous! Btw i added the shallot and garlic with the red pepper flakes and sauteed all of that for about 3 minutes before adding the spinach.

Oh my god. . eating this for lunch this minute. I fried an egg and topped it with that. I’m going to eat the whole batch in one sitting. So lovely Heidi. Thanks for sharing. Oh and I only had larger, flaked coconut that i broke up a bit in my hand and toasted. completely wonderful.

awesome recipe – i am always looking for interesting things to do with spinach.

this would be great to use in an Indian tofu scramble recipe with spinach, but use this spinach recipe instead. and served with curry potatoes

Exactly what I was looking for. Thx for the, as always, clear and inspiring post.

This flavor combination sounds wonderful, especially with throwing a fried egg into the mix!

I love cooking up my spinach in some coconut oil but, as much as I love it, I NEVER thought of cumin, or shredded coconut!
Thanks for the great idea!

I will happily eat spinach in any shape, form or size. Add coconut to the mix and I’m practically swooning! Also, the simplicity of the whole thing doesn’t hurt either!

I am having friends to dinner – planning on making the the curry noodles (Big Slurp….) from Super Natural Cooking, and I think this might be a nice side. I’ll let you know!

I am always looking for something new to do with spinach. This sounds like a winner with my husband; he loves spicy foods. Thanks

This sounds delightful. I love simple versatile dishes that whip up in minutes. That is perfection.

Oh my, this sounds good! I have everything to make it too, except for the spinach, so I’ll use some kale instead, yum!

Great idea! It might even work (cold or hot) with chickpeas or lentils as a main dish. How about sauteeing the garlic and spices and tossing with uncooked chopped spinach as a salad?

No matter how low the heat, my mustard seed become crunchy but too bitter to eat. I’ve solved the problem by substituting mustard oil in the recipes calling for seeds and adding Nigella (black seeds) when required for color and crunch.
I’ll be using it in this recipe as well.
You might like to try it too.

This is so unique, but it looks great! My husband loves cooked spinach, I’ll have to try this twist on it.

Since i am now addicted to your special quesedillas, this whole meal looks awesome! I love the coconut.

Sounds delightful. I am always looking for new ways to cook greens, I am sure it be great with other greens like kale or chard too.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.

This sounds like a lovely way to cook spinach! I’ve been a bit of a rut lately with my vege side dishes, so I’ll definitely be giving this a try! I love the addition of cumin and coconut. How delightful!

Mmmm, love the mustard and cumin seeds! And how versatile this is. Our local asparagus is going to be ready very soon and I’ve started some spinach in my garden. How awesome would that be to use a bunch of my local ingredients.

This is like no spinach I’ve ever had… and it looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!

Fabulous flavour combinations here, way to rock-star spinach up. I love the sound of it over farro too, yum!
Heidi xo

I have come to love fresh spinach…so flavorful and I bet this coconut pairs nicely….asparagus is another of my favorites so I am excited to create this dish. Thanks Heidi…

Totally inspired Heidi. I love to make a quick creamed spinach so today I threw in some toasted coconut and mashed garlic, spooned it over a pile of lemony quinoa and it was divine. Thank you~

Thanks, Heidi. I’ve been needing to change up my spinach routine for a while now. I love creamed spinach, but it doesn’t quite feel like the season for it anymore.

Well, that is exciting. Off to buy the spinach now.l

Looks lovely! I’m going to make it tonight with some cardamom brown buttery rice! Thanks.

I have this wonderful husband that cannot get enough spinach. Seriously it is all he wants to eat since the day I met him. I have never thought of adding a bit of coconut but this is a wonderful idea!

I made this for lunch today…It was as promised…quick, easy and DELICIOUS! I only had ground mustard and cumin, but it was still delicious!!! I will make this often!

All kinds of vegetables lend themselves to this kind of preparation green beans, cabbage, carrots, broccoli.

I love green recipes with plenty of spices, aromatics and heat alike. It feels good to eat like this. Thanks Heidi.

Love this flavour combination, Heidi. We’re heading into winter here in Australia so there is an abundance of greens both in the markets & the veggie patch – we’ll definitely give this one a go (although we might have to wait a few months before we try it with asparagus).

Oooh, I really like the sound of this dish. It seems like it would be really fragrant and just bursting with flavor!

This sounds wonderful. I love spinach. I had a spinach salad for dinner last night and as a kid growing up I ate so much of it that everyone called me Popeye. Yum and with coconut too it sounds fantastic.
I’m looking forward to trying this. Thanks for sharing.

That is an interesting spinach dish, I have a spinach dish I had planned to make and I think I will incorporate some of this dish, sort of a combination of the two. Thanks for the inspiration.
~Brenda

This is the change up my greens need. We are nearly sick of asparagus, but it is still everywhere, so this is a nice way for it to take a back seat a different treatment. Thanks.

This sounds perfectly gorgeous, and is just the thing to make the everyday something special. Know I’m gonna love it! – S

Heidi thank you for sharing this simple meal. I just had a baby and appreciate tasty and quick meals. There is not much time for extensive food prep these days! I’m going to toss this spinach recipe with some quinoa!

This sounds great! I love to flash cook spinach and this will expand what I do with it, but I have a question about the shallots: Are there three shallots in this recipe? The way they are listed, but not mentioned as being used in two different ways has me wondering. Thanks!

Yum. We used to make a similar dish at a restaurant I once worked at. But it was more south east asian inspired with ground roasted rice in it too. That book sounds amazing! It’s going to be added to my out-of-control Amazon wish-list!

This looks fantastic!
We’ve been picking spinach and asparagus daily here and I’m running out of ideas. Thanks for this!

I love the photo of the hands. Beautiful action photo! I have not been brave enough to venture there.

Great combination, I’ve never thought of that before. Sounds & looks delicious!

I love the greens + coconut combination – recently made coconut milk-braised mustard greens with curry and it was delicious. Your version seems lighter for spring and so perfect for all the tender green leafies at the greenmarkets right now!

Looks yummy. I don’t have any spinach just now, but I’m thinking about trying it with the red chard and/or braising greens I have in the fridge…

Why not use coconut oil in place of the ghee for more coconuty goodness?
HS: Great idea Jennifer!

I’m finally contributing to the food blog community after years (literally) of lurking. Thanks for being one of the pathfinders!
Spinach and coconut look so savory together. This could also be really good with potatoes as a baked samosa stuffing.
Another variation to try (very South Indian) is finely chopped green cabbage with coconut and turmeric. No one expects it to go together, so you have the fun of telling your friends there’s coconut in an unexpected place.
HS: Love these ideas.

First, thanks for the vegan option (sunflower oil)! Second, this looks like my kind of breakfast! I love a savory breakfast filled with greens!

typical south indian dish. this is how every day we make our sides for rice or chapathi.

Hi Heidi–I’m curious, looking at the title of the book, and since you commented on the ayurvedic slant—is this recipe specified for any one ayurvedic body type? I’d be interested to know.

I have such a hard time with spinach because people always cook it into a soggy ball. I like that you made it into a sort of chiffonade and then just kissed it with heat. I’ll definitely try it this way next time.

this sounds like spinach that has been properly kicked up the bum! yummy! as much as i truly adore asparagus ill be leaving it out for fear that the dish gets confusing. lovely photos as well.

yum! this is a very typical south indian style of preparing vegetables. try it with thinly sliced green beans, it is spectacular! it also works well with carrots, beets, cabbage, chayote squash, pumpkin….the list goes on and on! instead of chili flakes, i tend to break a dried arbol chili in half and add it to the ghee/cumin/mustard seed mixture (called TADKA), and then throw in the veg and then the coconut. it’s great with rice, or chapati!

Hey, we’ve got some shallots unaccounted for here…could you clarify? Looks amazing.

This is a very interesting twist to greens….I should try that tonight with the swiss chard I got from the farmers market. I have made spinach very often with this spice combination and potatoes or beans but without the coconut. The combination of spices you used also works great with crunchy shredded cabbage with a few curry leaves thrown in at the beginning and toasted peanuts and minced cilantro leaves tossed in at the end. You can also add peas/favas or cooked split lentils to this.

I added cooked soba noodle and tossed the all thing together. Delicious!

I’ve just received both your cookbooks from Amazon this week after following your blog for about a year. I LOVE them and am so excited about trying out the recipes. They are so well written, beautifully photographed and your enthusiasm and love of good, healthy food comes across loud and clear. My husband and I love having non-veggie friends round and serving them up interesting and tasty veggie food.. It’s going to get even better now!
Thank you Heidi!

This sounds amazing! I love the title too. Great recipe.

Great recipe! Thanks for sharing. This is reminiscent of a Sri Lankan dish which uses lacinato kale instead of the spinach. Add home-made coconut sambal for a little extra kick.

Looks like a great side dish! I love the addition of coconut on top.

So good, so healthy! Yum!

Well this is not veggie… but I just made some salmon “burger” patties tonight (made with almond flour)- and this spinach topping might give them a really interesting twist. I’ll check it out with leftovers tomorrow. I like the versatility here.

i love the flavors you used. veggies + coconut is always a winner for me. I make rice with coconut milk and add veggies like asparagus and green beans…need to try this…just skip the rice and go for the coconut and veggies. looks PERFECT!

Very interesting. I think I’ll give this a shot. I’m glad the asparagus is optional though.

This sounds really good, but I’m confused about the amount of shallots to use. Three shallots total?

This is so my kind of recipe. I love spinach so much. I’ve never thought to combine it with coconut!

Way to kick spinach up in an absolutely amazing way! This looks SO good!

Not only do I love toasted coconut but I like all of the items that you paired this spinach dish with. We’ve been eating quite a few spinach salads for lunch and this would be a nice way to change things up a bit. Thank you 101.

I like the combination of spinach and coconut 🙂

I like making spinach as a side dish because it’s so unbelievably quick to cook. This coconut version sounds like a must-try and a winner.

This sounds so great. I’m not a super huge fan of cooked spinach but may that is because every time I’ve had it the cook, over cooks it. Wen I make this, I promise I won’t over cook the spinach.

hi heidi,
is anjum’s new cookbook a vegetarian one? i thought it might be since it’s based on ayurveda, but went to the amazon page and couldn’t tell from the description. if it’s not, could you tell me how many of the recipes are meat based? thanks! janki
HS: Hi Janki – Anjum’s book isn’t vegetarian. That said, it is HUGE. And there are endless vegetarian recipes in it. I was just tagging recipes to try from it again this afternoon, and kept thinking to myself I’ll never be able to get through them all!

Really? You say these flavors worked well together? I’ll have to believe you since the other recipes on your site have all been fav’s of ours. I love spinach and I have some shaved coconut I’ll try to make work. Coconut oil would work well, yes?

i can DEFINITELY handle the heat and would love the extra cumin and pepper. what a heavenly side dish!

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with creamed vegetable quiches, and I think this would be an excellent addition to a creamed sweet potato and cabbage quiche! But, I really love it as a side dish – so simple and healthy. Thank you for sharing!

It is so easy to get into an Italian rut with greens — olive oil, garlic, a dash of hot pepper. It’s a GRAND rut, but there are so many more options.
I’ve not taken my greens down the Indian road in some time, and have never included coconut in the mix. I can’t wait.

I would never think to put those flavors together but it sounds delicious! Your cooking philosophy sounds like mine: simple, but never boring!

Anjum anand’s recipe is very close to kerala’s thorans. For this one, just search for ‘spinach thoran’. I love making thoran with red chard. Your prep looks great !

I love your recipes. I thought of you this weekend when I dined at the Palm Springs restaurant, John Henry. I had am amazing salad- warm grilled eggplant(sliced very thin like carpaccio) topped with diced tomatoes and chopped garlic and a chiffonade of basil drizzled with an oil and vinegar dressing. It was so simple but soooo tasty. You have to try it!