aloo saag ...spinach and new potatoes cooked to a mushy scramble...
This is a winter curry as the new potatoes and the best of the spinach is available during this time. This new potatoes and spinach stir fry can be made in many versions, you choose depending on what spice mood you are in and of course how much time on hand you have. Each one tastes really good considering most people like potatoes and spinach too, there are some people who like spinach only with potatoes.
This one is for all tastes. A mushy scramble like dish where the potatoes are cooked in such a way that they acquire the green color of the spinach. Slow cooked together and then thrashed lightly so the cooked potatoes get mixed with the spinach. Spicing is minimal so the spinach flavors shine through. Just the ginger-garlic-green chilly trio in whatever ratio you like them and want them with this combination. There is one more subtle addition to this aloo saag and that is dill greens. This herbs combines very well with spinach and fenugreek too, separately though. So your aloo paalak or aloo methi can include some dill greens too to make them a little more fragrant , the taste gets enhanced too.
ingredients...
(3-4 servings as a side dish)
one large new potato (150 gm) peeled and cubed
chopped spinach with stem and all 4 cups packed (400 gm)
chopped dill leaves 1/2 cup (50 gm)
minced or finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp or a bit more
minced or finely chopped garlic 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
mustard oil 1 tbsp
salt to taste
procedure...
Heat oil in a iron or cast iron pan/kadai and tip in the cumin seeds and wait till they crackle.
Add the garlic and then ginger and let them brown lightly before adding the cubed potatoes. Stir and cook the potatoes adding salt to taste . Add the chopped spinach just when the potatoes start getting shiny , about 1/4th done. Mix well and cover the pan and cook on low flame , stirring occasionally. This way the potatoes slowly absorb all the flavors and color from the spinach and garlic also gets nicely infused with everything.
After about 8-10 minutes of slow cooking, the spinach will get dried up and potatoes completely cooked and soft. Now add the chopped dill greens and mix well.Let it cook covered for another couple of minutes.
Lastly, thrash the potatoes a little so it gets mushy. You may leave them as it is if you do not like mushed up stir fries , but this aloo saag ill be a different experience when mushed up.
The first picture is the same recipe without dill leaves and the second picture with dill leaves. I got to know some people do not like dill much but I add a lot of dill leaves whenever I get them. It tastes great in combination with spinach and fenugreek greens...
I have posted a dill and dried fenugreek greens pilaf with broken wheat earlier and that is a superbly aromatic recipe.
This sesame and fenugreek greens fried rice tasted great with addition of dill greens ...
This fenugreek and dill greens curried rice with sweet corn kernels has become a favorite in many homes now...I personally like it with green peas too..
A dill and spinach pulao with some vegetables we call hari tahiri is another winter favorite.
This season i have planted a lot of dill in my garden and i am waiting to harvest them for my salads, soups and curries...and i have planted two varieties of spinach too...
Do you detest any of the known herbs ?
I have never come across a herb i do not like.... It just takes to pair them well with other ingredients so they agree with your kind of constitution...this is what i believe.
I am making this tomorrow!!!! Pukka! ooooh thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am going to making the recipe tomorrow!!!!! Thanks a lot!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis one reminds me of home :)
ReplyDeleteA homey, healthy and comforting potato dish.
ReplyDeletesimple and healthy
ReplyDeletelove aloo saag hungry now
ReplyDeleteI love palak and aaloo together. This is real comfort food!
ReplyDeleteWe eat palak, methi, bathua, sarson quit regularly. Soya is an infrequent visitor to my kitchen but it comes quite often enough. other than this I don't think I have tried any other green leafy vegetables. I like them all but don't expect me to eat then everyday :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteHmm...Amrita....For me it can be and it actually is, greens everyday and almost every meal...
ReplyDeleteAm i obsessed with greens?
Sangeeta, what would dill translate to, in Hindi, or in any other language? (Malayalam would be helpful!) Love spinach, and potato, and this sounds yummm... will def try it on Sunday :) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Usha,
ReplyDeletesee all Indian names of this herb...
Indian Names
Hindi : Sowa
Bengali : Sowa
Gujarati : Surva
Kannada : Sabasige
Kashmiri : Sor
Malayalam : Sathakuppa
Marathi : Surva, Shepu
Punjabi : Sowa
Sanskrit : Satapushpi
Tamil : Sathakuppi Sompa
Telugu : Sabasiege
Urdu : Sowa
Thank you :) I do remember now, my mother talking about this herb :) It is rather pungent and aromatic is it not?
ReplyDelete@ Usha...the herb is not pungent, rather a sweetish taste. And very very aromatic and that's the reason some people don'y like it in excess. A little goes a long way.
ReplyDelete