Aloo Palak (Indian Potatoes & Spinach)

From: Asma

On Jun 17, 2008

This is great, the texture is totally similar to restaurant aloo palak. I used only oil, not ghee/butter. Like Kavita, I made the same alterations of first frying the onions + garlic + ginger +1/2 green chili (process all together to chop finely) in oil till golden, then adding the spinach etc, and also sauteeing all of the dry spices of steps 4&5. One pack of frozen spinach was perfectly proportioned to 1 large baking potato. I defrosted the spinach in the microwave and squeezed it dry, then used that same bowl later to microwave the potato cubes in salt water for 5 minutes with a cover on top. I did all of the cooking in 1 med size pot too - just removed the spinach to the food processor then sauteed the spices in oil, then mixed it back in. This recipe doesn't have the "rich" taste of take-out, because that requires a ton of oil! this is healthier, and the cream gave a richer taste towards the end. Notes... I added a lot of water: while processing the spinach mix, and later while combining to cook everything. To be safe, I recommend starting with 1/2 green chili and adding cayenne pepper towards the end if you really want the extra heat All together, finishing touches were red pepper, salt, and keeping the pot covered on very low for a considerable while after adding the potatoes to melt the flavors together. It's even better re-heated.

From: Chef Freckles

On Jun 15, 2008

Delicious. Our family all have colds (but me!) so I thought a spicy dish was in order. They're 10 and under, so it couldn't be overly spicy. This fit the bill. I didn't have enough fresh spinach from the garden, so I augmented with a large can of Popeye brand spinach I had no idea what to do with. If it's pureed after being cooked, what's the diff? I used a Tablespoon of Jamaican curry powder (not the hottest available) instead of the turmeric, cumin, and garam masala, and added 1 tsp. of ground cumin. I tallied a total of 3tsp. of salt in the end. I creamed it with 1/2 cup of goat milk instead of cream, and the children just ate it up with french bread on the side. I didn't have any roti today. I used a red chili grown in my Italian neighbors garden, deseeded (for the children) and a large bell pepper to bulk the meal up. I put in the blender: 2 T oil, the garlic, ginger, onions, and chile and bell pepper. Bzzt, then spooned the dry spices into the hot pan with another 2 T oil in it, stirred for a few seconds (they're ground after all) and then added the contents of the blender. I sauteed that until it was quite melded and the onions were sweeter. Then went in a few handfuls of raw chopped spinach, and the can of drained Popeye spinach. The green sauce held some texture still, coated the cubed red potatoes I used (with skins on) and was very popular with my family. I added 8 grinds of black pepper, because I tweaked the spices for what I had in the cupboard, and it needed a little bit of heat. The Italian red pepper from my neighbors garden had a little bite to it, but not so much that it heated the whole dish once blended. Delish! Kids had seconds. Me too.

From: Chef #125458

On Jan 23, 2005

this was a very nice variation on the usual paneer palak that i make using pretty much this method. i followed your recipe exactly, and did include the cream (but of course!) thanks for posting - it didn't occur to me to put together something like this till i saw your recipe, and being snowed in and unable to go out to replenish my veggie store, it was a very good recipe to make do with whatever i had at home.

From: KavitaS

On Sep 16, 2007

Fantastic recipe! I didn’t have waxy potatoes on hand but it still worked well with regular potatoes. I also cooked the ingredients differently in order to brown the onions and fry the spices as is common in Indian cooking. My cooking method is as follows: First saute the garlic, ginger, onions and green chili together till the onion started to brown. Then add the spinach and cook till it wilts and puree. Cook the potatoes without any turmeric or salt till almost done (I just cut into cubes and microwaved for about 5 minutes.) In a deep fry pan fry the cumin seeds for about 20 seconds till they start to lightly brown and then add the turmeric and other powdered spices and fry for about 20 seconds to bring out the flavor. Add the spinach-onion paste, salt, and potatoes and cook for a few minutes for the flavors to absorb and the potatoes to fully cook.