Potato And Spinach Bhaji - Free From Onion, Garlic and Tomatoes
Aloo Palak ki Sookhi Sabji (Bhaji)
It is a simple and tasty dish, best served with Indian breads like chapatti, nan or paratha. It is cooked without any gravy/ sauce. It is popular at Indian restaurants in the UK. Here, I have cooked with much less oil and chillies, compared to restaurants.
This dish can be made using frozen spinach too, but find one that has whole or chopped leaves, not pureed spinach for a better texture.
Serves 4
Recipe edited and new pictures added January 2022
Ingredients
- 500 gm. spinach leaves (frozen, whole leaf spinach can be used)
- 150-200 gm. potatoes
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated/finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. Mustard oil or cooking oil of choice
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds (or black mustard seeds or Panch Pooran)
- 1-2 dry red chillies
- A pinch of asafoetida powder (omit if you don't have it)
- 1 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp. chilli powder (or 2 fresh green chillies)-adjust to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
- *1 sliced/chopped onion, garlic and 1-2 chopped tomatoes, an optional in any dry vegetable bhaji, can be added. I usually make mine without any.
- Adding a cup of chopped fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves or 2 tbsp. of dry Kasoori methi leaves to spinach leaves, gives this dish an even nicer flavour.
Instructions
- Wash and chop spinach roughly.
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. New potatoes do not require peeling.
- Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan.
- Add cumin seeds and asafoetida powder and let the cumin seeds splutter, not burn.
- Add ginger. Onion and garlic can be added here, if desired. Fry until onions are golden brown.
- Add turmeric, coriander powder, salt and chilli powder.
- Add potatoes and fry for about 5 minutes, until aroma of spices rises.
- Add spinach (and methi leaves if used), mix well, cover and cook on medium-low heat, until potatoes are tender. Stir from time to time.
- Stir fry on higher heat, until all water is evaporated and the vegetable looks a little shiny.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Sprinkle garam masala, sugar and stir well.
- Serve with hot Chapatties or Paratha.
Notes
- Quantities of spinach, potatoes and onions are only a rough guide. A little more or a little less of either will not matter.
- No additional water is required, spinach releases enough of its own water.
- Adding a little squeeze of lemon juice or a little bit of crushed lemon pickle at the end of cooking, enhances the taste and flavour of this dish.