Saag Aloo: North Indian Greens and Potato Curry
Prepare to be saag-tisfied by this sattvic vegan dish from Northern India. Don't leaf Saag Aloo out of your home cooking rotation. Get ready to spud-erstand why potatoes are so a-peeling!
Servings: 4 (yield: 4 cups)
Calories: 194kcal
Cost: $5.50
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes peeled, 1 inch (2.5 cm), diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 green chili or to taste, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 lbs. 0.9 kg. mature spinach, washed and chopped (including the stems)
- 1 cup water
Spices
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon asafetida
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Optional garnishes
- Cilantro leaves
- Mint leaves
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add the diced potatoes and cover them generously with water. Over a high flame, cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender. This should take approximately 10-12 minutes. Check the doneness by piercing a potato cube with a fork; it should easily slide through. Once cooked, drain the potatoes in a colander or wire mesh strainer and set them aside.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. After one minute when the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in minced green chili and grated fresh ginger, sautéing for about one minute to release their flavors.
- Add the washed chopped spinach (including the stems) to the pan. Stir well to coat the spinach with the spices and cook for a few minutes until it wilts down.
- Pour in 1 cup of water to help cook the spinach. Cover the pan and let the spinach simmer for about 6 minutes, or until it is tender.
- Once the spinach is cooked, allow it to cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender or food processor. You can alternatively place the contents of the pan into a container and puree them using an immersion blender.
- In the same pan used for cooking the spinach, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the asafetida, ground turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala. Stir well to combine the spices and cook for about 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Pour the pureed spinach back into the pan with the spices. Stir everything together to ensure the spices are well incorporated into the spinach.
- Add the cooked potatoes to the spinach mixture. Gently stir to coat the potatoes with the spinach and spices. If the mixture appears too thick, you can add a splash of water to adjust the consistency. If it is too thin for your liking, continue to cook for a few minutes to evaporate off some of the liquid.
- Season the dish with salt according to taste.
- Transfer the contents of the pan into an attractive serving dish and optionally garnish with cilantro and mint leaves.
Notes
- The texture of the Aloo Saag is a matter of personal preference. When pureeing the spinach, you can simply pulse it in the blender for a chunky texture or make it a smooth sauce. Alternatively, if you prefer to have some texture in the dish, you can add finely chopped spinach leaves directly when adding the potatoes to the pureed saag.
- If you want to add a tadka, simply pop brown mustard seeds, in hot oil and add whole cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, and a pinch of salt. After briefly frying the spices, you can spoon the tempering onto the finished saag.
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 1733mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 21275IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 8mg