Sodhi is a simple yet delicious coconut milk curry that’s more a soup than a curry.

Golden in colour from the turmeric powder, sodhi is rich but not overpoweringly so, and can be easily made vegan or vegetarian by leaving out a few ingredients without affecting its taste.

It is the perfect accompaniment to string hoppers, especially when liberally poured over until the string hoppers are almost drowning in it. But if you’re not a fan of string hoppers, sodhi goes great with rice too.

Just like curries, there are probably a million different ways to make sodhi that vary from country to country, region to region, and even household to household.

We’ve chosen a fuss-free recipe that is also easily adaptable if you’d like more vegetables or different types of seafood in your curry.

Make this for Deepavali, special occasions or for no specific reason other than wanting a warm, rich soup in your belly.

Ingredients: Serves: 5-6 (when eaten with rice or string hoppers)

• 510g grated coconut (from 2 coconuts)

• 26g fenugreek seeds (2 tbsp)

• 70g red onion (1 medium to large red onion)

• 90g tomato (1 medium tomato)

• 12g green chilli (1 large green chilli)

• 2g turmeric powder (1 tsp)

• 3 portions warm water: 450ml, 900ml and 300ml each

• 1 lime, juice only

• 7g salt

• 2 tbsp ghee

• 2 stalks curry leaves (25-30 leaves)

Optional

• 5 hard-boiled eggs

• 300g prawns

Method: Preparation

• Line a large bowl with a piece of cheese cloth or tea towel, making sure the cloth covers most of the inner surface of the bowl.

• Pile grated coconut flesh onto the cloth, then pour 450ml warm water over the grated coconut. Let rest for a few seconds.

• Wrap and twist the cloth over the grated coconut and squeeze every ounce of liquid out. Be careful as the water may be hot. This will render what is known as “first-pressed coconut milk”. Set aside.

• Leaving the grated coconut still wrapped in the cloth, transfer it to another large bowl and open the cloth up. Pour 900ml of warm water all over the grated coconut and mix with a spoon to even out the liquid.

• Repeat step 3 and squeeze out all the liquids to make second-pressed coconut milk. Discard grated coconut and set aside second-pressed coconut milk.

• If using eggs, prepare your hard-boiled eggs.

• If using prawns, peel and clean the prawns.

• Cut onion and tomato into eight segments.

• Slice green chilli diagonally.

Cooking the sodhi

• Place onion, tomato, chilli, fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder in a pot.

• Pour 300ml warm water into the pot. Stir and bring to boil over high heat.

• Add 6g salt, stir. If using prawns, add them in now. Continue boiling until the tomato is soft and disintegrating.

• Turn the heat to low and add second-pressed coconut milk. Stir over low heat and continue stirring so the coconut milk heats up, but doesn’t burn or boil. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

• Add in peeled hard-boiled eggs.

• Pour in first-pressed coconut milk immediately, then stir to mix thoroughly for about 1 minute. Add 1g salt, stir again, then turn the heat off.

• Squeeze lime into the sodhi and stir thoroughly.

• Without waiting, melt ghee over high heat in a small pan.

• Once ghee is melted, add in curry leaves and fry for 1 minute.

• Pour entire contents – ghee and curry leaves – over the cooked sodhi and stir to mix well.

• Serve with string hoppers or rice.

Extra tips

• Use freshly grated coconut as it contains more moisture and will yield a much richer coconut milk.

• Don’t fancy squeezing your own coconut milk? Buy fresh, first-pressed coconut milk from the market or supermarket instead. You’ll need 900ml. Divide in half and mix one half with equal parts water to create second-pressed coconut milk.

• Besides prawns, you can also use squid, crab, or if you want to get real fancy – lobster!

• Vegetarian? Just omit the seafood.

• Vegan? Omit seafood, eggs and ghee. You can also add more vegetables – potatoes, carrots or drumsticks, for a heartier sodhi.

• If you don’t like eggs, you don’t need to add it to your sodhi.

• Fenugreek seeds are very important to this dish, but biting into a few at one go can get very bitter.

If you like hearty, comforting soups, sodhi is a great addition to your soup repertoire. Despite the addition of green chilli, it is not particularly spicy and is therefore suitable for kids as well. We’d like to thank Roshni Menon for sharing this deliciously simple recipe with us. We love it and we’re pretty sure you will too!

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com

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