Aloo Palak

Aloo Palak is an extremely popular recipe in restaurants, parties and home too. Potatoes (Aloo) simmered in a spinach (Palak) based green gravy is truly delicious and also, very healthy!

Making green gravy is the first step of this two step recipe which is later added to the potatoes that is cooked with onions, tomatoes and other spices. A splash of heavy cream & butter is added for a smooth, creamy finish. The highlight of this recipe is that the spices are spot on that the recipe is neither too bland nor overpowering with spices.

Ghee-roasted cumin seeds and garlic imparts lip-smacking flavor to the recipe. For vegan cooking, you can always replace ghee with vegetable oil. You can also replace potatoes with paneer (palak paneer), cauliflower florets, or simply with more garlic (lahsuni palak), Yummo!!

Basic Info
Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 10 mins
Cook time - 45 mins
Serves - 4-6

Ingredients
3 tightly packed cups of spinach
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp ghee/oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6-8 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium potatoes

2 tsp oil
2 green chillies, vertically slit
1 tsp grated ginger
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp kasoori methi

2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
Salt to taste

Instructions

Pressure cook potatoes for a whistle and let it cool. Peel and chop cooked potatoes into small cubes.

Clean and wash spinach in fresh running water to remove any dirt or impurities. Bring a pot of water to rolling boil. Mix in a tsp of sugar and throw the washed spinach into it. Let the spinach simmer for couple of mins (or) until the leaves starts to wilt. Carefully remove & plunge the leaves into ice-cold water (this stops further cooking & retains the bright green color of spinach). Drain and blend blanched spinach into a smooth paste.

Heat ghee in a pan. When hot, add cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Add minced garlic and saute until the  raw smell goes off. Add pureed spinach and saute until the gravy comes together and thick, for about 10 mins. Save it for later.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add green chillies and grated ginger and give it a quick stir. Add onion and saute until translucent. Next, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, kasoori methi, salt and cook until the raw smell of spices are gone.

To this, add potatoes and cook briefly, for a min or so. Now, add the green gravy, adjust salt and let it simmer on low-heat for about 5-7 mins. Add more water (if required), heavy cream, butter, simmer for a minute and remove from heat.

Serve alongside soft phulkas and enjoy!