Potato Curry With Spinach Sauce
Aloo-Palak or Saag Aloo
Mamta Gupta
This is a nice dish to make for parties. It is very popular in North Indian homes and it is easy to make. The potatoes in the first picture are kept whole, you can chop them smaller.
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
500 gm. medium potatoes, peeled
1 bunch (150-200 gm.) spinach or palak leaves
1 large onion (225 gm. approximately), peeled, finely chopped or grated
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or grated (optional)
150 gm. tinned or fresh chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp. oil or ghee
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. chilli powder or to taste
Salt to taste
Boiling water
Instructions
Wash, chop spinach leaves. Boil in a little water for 10 minutes.
Cool and grind to a paste. Keep aside. You can simply chop the leaves and use them as they are, uncooked. Read on.
Peel and chop potatoes into large pieces, like you would for roast potatoes. You can keep them whole or chop them small, as you prefer. There is no fast rule.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter, add onions, ginger and garlic. Fry until onions are browned.
Add tomatoes, all the spices (you can use curry powder instead of individual spices) and salt.
Fry until oil separates.
Add potatoes. Stir to coat with spices.
Add water and bring to boil.
Simmer until potatoes are tender. They can be cooked in pressure cooker, under full pressure, for 2-3 minutes.
Add pureed spinach and simmer for a further 5-6 minutes. If using chopped, raw spinach leaves, simmer for 10 minutes or so, until spinach is cooked.
Adjust seasoning.
Turn heat off and transfer to a serving dish.
Serve hot, with Chapatties or Tandoori Roties or Nans or Parathas.
