Mayalu and Roasted Khubani Almond Soup

Mayalu leaves are good for digestion. They encourage healing the cells and also reduce cholesterol absorption

Ingredients
1 bunch mayalu leaves (Malabar spinach), roughly chopped
10 to 15 khubani almonds (Indian apricot almonds)
100 ml water to blend
250 ml milk
1 tsp oil
1 tsp butter
1 bay leaf
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt to taste
5 black peppercorns, freshly crushed
1/2 tsp jaggery
1 tbsp gram flour
black salt to taste

Method
Clean the mayalu leaves and wash them to remove any dirt or impurities.
In a deep saucepan or kadhai, heat oil and butter together over medium flame.
Add bay leaf. Saute till it turns aromatic.
Add finely chopped onions and garlic and saute till they turn golden brown. Add the roughly chopped mayalu leaves and saute on medium flame for a minute till they shrink in size.
Set aside.
Once it cools down, remove the bay leaf and transfer to blender.
Blend to smooth puree, adding water as required.
Transfer the blended puree to the same deep saucepan, along with half cup milk.
Add salt and mix thoroughly.
Once it comes to a boil, add crushed black pepper and jaggery.
In a small bowl, add 1 tbsp of roasted gram flour with 2 tbsp water and make a paste out of it.
Add the paste to the soup and give a quick stir for thickening.
In a frying pan, heat some ghee.
Add khubani almonds and toss well till they get a crisp texture.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle some black salt and give a mix.
Pour the soup in a serving bowl.
Garnish with crispy khubani almonds.
Serve piping hot.