Aloo palak..Potato in spinach gravy.

I don't have much memories about spinach, so I guess I didn't like it as a kid. But after I read all the good things about spinach I started eating it, and now I like it, in fact I love it. Palak paneer is my favorite, then there is palak methi malai and of course our bengali shaak, "begun n bori diye palang shaak".

I usually buy spinach from Costco, those 2lb boxes of organic baby spinach, which is a huge quantity for two people. Today neither I had paneer nor methi or eggplant in the fridge. But I wanted to use my spinach. So I made it with aloo. Today was the third time I made this, and it gets better with past experiences. So here comes 'simple n easy' Aloo palak.

Ingredients:

Spinach : 1lb, fresh or frozen, roughly chopped
Garlic : 2 cloves, roughly chopped
Ginger : 1" root, roughly chopped
Onions : 2 medium, chopped
Green chilis : 2-3, chopped
Potatoes : 1 medium, peeled and cubed

Tomato : 1 medium, chopped
Turmeric powder : 1tsp
Dried red chili : 1
Cumin seeds : 1tsp
Garam masala powder : 1tsp
Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder : 1tsp

Lemon juice : 1tsp, freshly squeezed

Cilantro/ Coriander leaves : a small bunch or handful
Fresh cream / Heavy cream / Greek yogurt (optional) : as per taste

Sweet corn kernels : 1/2 cup, frozen or canned (optional)
Salt : to taste

Vegetable oil: 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to the pan. Wait till the oil is smoking hot and add the dried red chili and cumin seeds. 

Once the sweet aroma comes from the cumin seeds and chili add the cubed potatoes  Add turmeric  powder and fry them for few minutes. After the potatoes are golden brown add the chopped onions and again fry for some time. 

Then one by one add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilis. Saute them well and add the chopped tomatoes. Add salt as per taste. At this point you can add the corn, if you are using. (I like corn a lot, so I throw them in almost any dish, you can totally skip this.)

Now once the tomatoes are mashed, add the dry spices and let the masala be fried for 2 mins. 

Add the chopped spinach to pan. The spinach will wilt very fast and there will be a lot of water in the pan. Cover the pan and let the gravy cook in its own water. 

Once the the potatoes are soft and cooked, take a handful of cilantro and grind it to a paste by adding water. As we are making a paste, no need to discard the stems. Add the cilantro paste into the gravy; this gives a nice aroma.

Check for the seasoning and turn off the heat. At this point you can add the cream if desired. If you are using greek yogurt (which I use), put 2 tbsp of yogurt and 2 tbsp water and blend it in the mixer for 10 secs, it will be in the consistency of heavy cream with a little sourness. 

Add a little fresh lemon juice and serve.. Creamy aloo palak with rice...Ummm....


Sorry for these bad quality photos. Those are takes by my tab as I was too busy to get a camera. :(