Saag aloo recipe

Indian spiced potato and spinach dish

Posted 2023-12-05

Time

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp garlic, crushed
• 2 green / red chilli, finely chopped / minced
• 450g waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 200g spinach
• 200ml coconut milk (may be able to use yoghurt or cream)
• 125ml water
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp turmeric
• 0.1-1 tsp red chilli powder
• squeeze of lemon juice
• salt+pepper to taste

Tempering

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced

Method

1. Heat oil in a deep pan / wok, add cumin seeds.
2. Once it begins to splutter add ginger, garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add onions and saute until translucent.
4. Add potatoes, spices and salt and stir well.
5. Cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add 125 ml water, just enough to submerge the potatoes.
7. Cover and cook in medium heat for 12 minutes.
8. Test the potatoes with the tip of a sharp knife or with a fork.
9. If they are nearly tender, remove the lid and cook until sauce has thickened.
10. Add 200ml coconut milk and bring it simmer.
11. Add the spinach and cook.
12. Cover and cook for just about 2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
13. Squeeze lemon juice on to the curry.
14. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
15. Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat.
16. Add cumin seeds and garlic.
17. Fry for about 50 seconds- 1 minute or until the garlic cloves are just about to turn golden.
18. Add the tempering to the saag aloo curry.
19. Garnish with sliced red chillies and serve saag aloo with naan.

Source

• Sandhya Hariharan - Saag Aloo

Verdict

Very tasty, but I’m looking for something closer to what an English Indian takeaway serves as saag aloo. There’s a flavour missing that I haven’t been able to properly identify yet. My current suspicion is that it needs dried fenugreek leaves added (kasuri methi).