This Pakistani spinach recipe makes the perfect palak saag aloo. A traditional and healthy spinach curry packed full of flavour. Soft potato chunks covered in a spinach gravy masala for a delicious spinach and potato curry. No South Asian buffet is complete without an array of spicy sides and this saag curry is definitely one you will want to make again and again. And what makes this aloo palak saag curry even better is that it is perfect for everyone’s dietary requirements from being vegan to dairy free to being gluten free! Serve with homemade naan bread or chapattis.

Saag aloo is one of those curries that everyone has pretty much heard of. At least I think so! It is so universally loved that I thought I would share my recipe for it. Saag aloo is a dish that is loved by Brits all over. Definitely a comfort food at its finest!

This is a popular takeout curry guaranteed to be on Pakistani or Indian restaurant menu. With that being said I very rarely actually get saag aloo from takeaways. Homemade saag curry just tastes so much nicer. I know I am a little bit biased, but anything homemade is so much cheaper and healthier. This aloo saag recipe is no exception! With takeout curries half the container seems to be filled with oil! Not that I am saying you shouldn’t get takeaways seeing as I am bit of a takeaway lover myself. It would make me a bit of a hypocrite to suggest otherwise.

Anyways back the curry recipe itself, this is an extremely popular vegetarian (AND vegan!) curry, and it is extremely easy to make. Obviously as with any recipe you can adjust the spices to your taste. I know some people can’t handle the heat and some people just want their tongue to fall off. I fall more to the latter end of the scale. In this recipe I toned down the spices and added just enough to ensure that the spices complement the spinach and the potatoes.

The best thing about this potato and spinach curry is so easy to prepare with basic ingredients. You’re pretty much guaranteed to have most of them. Spinach in the form of curries is a regular occurrence in the family household. And probably most Pakistani households! Everyone in my family eats it whether I make with chicken or lamb or on its own.

Personally, I always use spinach leaves, but technically speaking you could use any leafy vegetable. In Urdu (or Hindi or Punjabi) saag refers to any green leafy vegetable which includes spinach leaves, as well as fenugreek leaves and mustard leaves whereas palak refers to spinach leaves. Good thing to keep in mind when you go Pakistani or Indian restaurants! It’s up to personal preference which you would choose to use. My family like spinach, so I usually (always) use spinach. You could even use a mix of spinach and mustard leaves if you like! Speaking of which my mum is actually growing spinach in our back garden, I cannot wait to use the freshly grown spinach in my curries. There is just something about making food from home-grown food that tastes so good!

Now, the size you cut the potatoes will determine how long the potatoes take to soften (obviously). I like to cut them small because it reduces the cooking time. I know some people like to add the potatoes before the spinach. The problem with that is my certain members of my family (not naming any names) don’t like it when the spinach is not properly smooth and pureed. I add it before to give it plenty of time to break down. Sometimes I even partially boil the spinach separately. Then put into a food processor to create a puree. Then add that into the curry. That ensures that the saag is smooth and completely blended in. I try to refrain from doing that as it takes away the nutrients in the spinach. Plus it takes longer and I have to wash more dishes

In all of my curry recipes I only ever use fresh garlic and ginger. My mum forbids me from using the paste versions. However, if you want to you can use ginger paste and garlic paste. In this recipe you can replace the garlic cloves with 1 teaspoon of garlic paste.

This potato and spinach curry is the perfect vegetarian curry for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

Spinach & Potato Curry (Saag Aloo)

by Sadia Halimah Aziz

This Pakistani spinach recipe makes the perfect palak saag aloo. A traditional and healthy spinach curry packed full of flavour. Soft potato chunks covered in a spinach gravy masala for a delicious spinach and potato curry. No South Asian buffet is complete without an array of spicy sides and this saag curry is definitely one you will want to make again and again. And what makes this aloo palak saag curry even better is that it is perfect for everyone’s dietary requirements from being vegan to dairy free to being gluten free! Serve with homemade naan bread or chapattis.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Pakistani/Indian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 215

Ingredients

  

• 50 ml Vegetable Oil
• 300 g Spinach/Palak finely chopped
• 300 g Potatoes/Aloo chopped
• 1 Onion/Pyaz finely chopped
• 5 Garlic Cloves/Lehsan chopped
• 2 Green Chillies/Hari Mirch finely chopped
• 1 Tomato chopped
• 1 tsp Chilli Powder/Laal Mirch Powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder/Haldi
• 1 tsp Salt/Namak
• Coriander/Dhaniyaa finely chopped

Instructions

 

• In a large pot heat up the vegetable oil on medium heat until hot
• Add the finely diced onions and the salt then cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are slightly softened – adding the salt with the onions helps to bring the moisture out of the onion to allow them to cook down and brown more evenly without burning the onions
• Add the chopped tomatoes and the garlic cloves then cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes and garlic soften
• Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder then cook the spices for 4-6 minutes adding a few tablespoons of water to prevent the spices from burning
• Add the finely chopped green chilies and cook for another 1-2 minutes
• Add the finely chopped spinach into the pan and gently mix the spices into the spinach before covering with a lid and cooking for 15-20 minutes until the spinach has released its excess water
• Add the finely chopped coriander then cook for 1-2 minutes
• Your saag aloo curry is ready!

Video

Keyword curries, indian, pakistani, spicy