How To Make Indian Saag Aloo
Aug 22nd, 2008 by admin
Here is the final recipe that I’ve tried at home since attending cookery workshop Easy Indian With Manju Malhi at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, London last month. Manju didn’t teach us how to make this, but the recipe can be found on her website and in her Easy Indian cookery book. I love saag aloo, in fact, anything made with potatoes…
Ingredients: (serves 4)
- 60g / 2¼oz butter or ghee
- 5cm / 2in piece root ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- 200g / 7oz floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm / 2in pieces
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp salt
- 500g / 1lb 2oz spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped (you can also use frozen spinach, defrosted)
- pinch garam masala
What to do next:
Melt butter or ghee in large saucepan over medium heat. Fry ginger, garlic, onions and chillies, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Then add cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Continue frying and stirring for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. I found that everything really stuck to the base of the pan unless I stirred non-stop. If this happens, add a little vegetable oil rather than more butter.
Throw in the spinach at the very end. You want it to stay nice and fresh, so take the saucepan off the heat after you’ve stirred it in, as it will continue to cook for a while with the heat from the potatoes.
Sprinkle garam masala over and serve hot. This would go nicely with Manju’s tarka dal and rice.
Other Indian Recipes on World Foodie Guide that you might like:
Click for all the Indian recipes on World Foodie Guide.
This was absolutely delicious – thank you. Second time I made it I put it in an omelette – adds a bit of protein, and that was very tasty too.
Joanna – you’re most welcome. What a great idea to put it in an omelette. I must try that next time! Yum…
Helen Yuet Ling
Thanks for this recipe, made this last night and it went down a storm, the onions were all lovely and caremelised, delicious. I’m going for the tarka dal and white cabbage recipes next ♥
Elle – thank you for letting me know! This is one of the most popular recipes and yet hardly anyone has left any feedback, so it’s great to hear from you. I love the Indian recipes from Manju. They’re all so easy to make and have given me a lot of confidence in the kitchen. Try the desi pasta too, it’s delicious!
Helen Yuet Ling
Thumbs-up from me too. I added a little water to stop everything sticking though.
Phil – good tip, I seem to remember some bits stuck to the saucepan too when I was making this! I think I’ll have to make it again soon…
Helen Yuet Ling
Made this dish as a side to a chicken tikka masala and saag gosht this evening, problem was everyone wanted this and not the main courses! Great recipe – I followed the other reviewer tips and added some oil to stop the butter burning and when the potatoes were nearing cooked I added a splash of water which semi-steamed the spinach. Make sure this has evaporated once served though.
Great recipe and recommend for others as it is easy to prepare and very tasty, thanks.
Tom – thanks for your feedback! I’ll follow everyones’ tips next time I make this. You’ve reminded me how easy it is to make, and so satisfying too…
Helen Yuet Ling
Do you have print-friendly versions for recipes?
Jongdae Lee –
Thanks for asking that question! A plugin has just been installed for you, and you will see the ‘Print Friendly Version’ button at the bottom of every post under the comments.
Helen Yuet Ling
This dish looks delicious. I am very tempted to make it but before I start I have a doubt regarding amounts of potatoes used in this recipe. The 200g (2 normal size potatoes) of potatoes seem a quite small amount when compared to amount of onion and spinach used.
Wojt – I followed the recipe exactly as Manju wrote it, and this is her recipe in her own words. It worked for me. Both the spinach and onion cook down and reduce a lot in size. You can always add more potato if you doubt the recipe.
Helen Yuet Ling
You are right! I have decided to follow this recipe and it turned out GREAT! Many thanks.