Soppina Palya

 Do you sometimes like or dislike a particular vegetable, not for its taste, but for its Feeding Capacity Quotient? Well, I do! (No, there is no such phrase, u know what I mean to convey!) . Veggies like ridge gourd, grated radish and greens like methi and spinach. They shrink to 1/4 their original volume when cooked, which just won't be enough whatever quantity you get them in, particularly if you hog veggies like we do. We are the kind of folks who eat rice with veggies, chutney with idlis and not the other way round:-)).  I need to have lots and lots of rasam or vegetable or gravy with my rice or chapatis to have the satisfaction of having eaten a good meal.

One such vegetable is 'Dantina Soppu' when I need to make palya. I don't have any grouses against this leaf when I make dal with it as it behaves well, quantity wise . But, when I have to make  palya, I need to take care of the FCQ. The below recipe is one delicious way of making Soppina Palya, using flour to increase the quantity. I love to make this in large quantities so that I can first eat it with rice, then with rasam and rice, then with curd rice. This tasty preparation is a delight for people like me who love rasam and rice and if its with Soppina Palya, it makes a simple meal a scrumptious one...

Ingredients:
Dantina Soppu - 1 BIG bunch or 2 Medium bunches(Approximately 4-5 packed cups of chopped leaves)
Cooking Oil - 2 teaspoons for tempering
Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa Dal - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida / Hing - A generous pinch
Green Chillies - 2, slit
Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
Red Chilli Powder- 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Wash thoroughly and finely chop the greens. Keep aside. There should not be much water in the greens as the palya must be dry.  Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a pan. Add the mustard, allow to splutter. Add the urad dal, chana dal. Saute for a few seconds. Add the  green chillies and asafoetida. Add the chopped greens, saute, reduce the heat and cook till done. Sprinkle some water(but not much)if needed in between. Turn off the heat.

Take the wheat flour in a bowl. Add the chilli powder, salt and one table spoon of oil and mix well till all ingredients get well incorporated. (This mixture will be quite oily and look like breadcrumbs, well not exactly- for want of a better way of describing this:-)). Add this to the cooked greens in the pan and mix well. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or till the raw smell of the wheat flour is gone. Keep mixing  in between, ensuring the palya doesn't get burnt. Add the coconut and mix well, cooking further for 2-3 minutes. Take off the heat.
Serve with hot rice and rasam.

Variation: You can use gram flour in place of the wheat flour or a mixture of both wheat and gram flour.