Saag Aloo Recipe
This Saag Aloo recipe is a nourishing, comforting, and vegan dish that can be served as a main dish or a delicious side. It is a classic South Asian dish made with parboiled potatoes and spinach, simmered in a flavorful masala base. This Indian spinach and potato curry is simple and delicious!
What is Saag Aloo?
The translation of saag aloo in English is saag: leafy greens and aloo: potatoes. Typically, an easy saag aloo uses any combination of greens such as spinach, mustard greens, chard, amaranth, or seasonal greens. Aloo palak is a different dish that uses finely chopped or pureed spinach and has a more earthy flavor. For this saag aloo, I used fresh spinach, spices, and boiled potatoes to create a restaurant-style dish, except homemade and in under 30 minutes!
Why You'll Love This Saag Aloo
- Easy 30-minute Indian curry.
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- Made with simple pantry spices.
- Perfect side dish or main meal.
- Great with roti, naan, or rice.
Benefits of Dark Leafy Greens
Dark leafy greens are nutrient-dense and high in fiber. It is a beneficial addition to our diets, as it can boost immunity, support heart health, lower blood pressure, aid digestion, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer.
Other dark leafy greens besides spinach include: fresh fenugreek leaves (methi), kale, collard greens, mustard greens, swiss chard, bok choy, romaine lettuce, arugula, plus so many more! Although romaine lettuce and arugula should not be cooked, they can be eaten raw.
Ingredients
Potatoes. I like to use Yukon golden potatoes for their soft, waxy texture. Russet also works great for this dish.
Spinach or Dark Leafy Greens of your choice. I chose spinach as I always have it on hand. This creates the traditional saag base.
Ginger + Garlic + Onions + Green Chili. Adds warmth and flavor to the base of this dish.
Tempering Spices. Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafetida. Many South Asian cuisines temper their dishes with seeds and spices. Tempering is done at the beginning or the end of your dish, depending on the dish. The significance of tempering is that, when these ingredients are added to hot oil, the spices' natural oils and healing properties are released. It gives you the most important properties of the spices and adds extra flavor to the dish!
Crushed Tomatoes. This adds acid and brings out the flavors.
Ground Spices. I used dried fenugreek leaves, turmeric, coriander, amchur powder, kashmiri chili powder, and garam masala. You can find these online or at your local Indian grocery store.
How to make Easy Saag Aloo
- Step 1. Boil the Potatoes. Peel the potatoes and dice them into larger chunks (about 1 inch). Place them in a pot of boiling water, then add a pinch of ground turmeric and a generous amount of salt (it should be salty like seawater). Cover and boil them until they are about 80% done (about 7-8 minutes). A knife should easily pierce through the potato while retaining some firmness. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
- While the potatoes are boiling, wash your spinach (if you're not using baby spinach, remove stems and keep only the leaves), roughly chop the spinach, chop your onions, and mince your garlic, ginger, and green chili.
- Step 2. Temper seeds. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat with oil. Once hot, add mustard and cumin seeds. Quickly reduce the heat. Once the seeds start popping, add the asafetida, and give it a quick stir.
- Step 3. Make the Base. Add the onions, spices, and tomatoes. Add the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes until golden browned and softened, stirring occasionally. If the onions start to stick, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and green chili to the onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Step 4. Add the Spices. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the turmeric, coriander, amchur, kashmiri chili, and garam masala. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and salt, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens into a base (you will see the oil separating). Crumble the kasoori methi in and stir.
- Step 5. Combine. Add in the boiled potatoes and give it a stir. Add in the spinach a little bit at a time. As it wilts, add more. Let the aloo saag cook for about 5 minutes, then add lemon juice and sugar, mix well. Top with chopped cilantro and serve warm.
Tips for the Best Aloo Saag
- Use fresh spinach or leafy greens for the best flavor
- Don't overcook the potatoes. I like to boil the potatoes to 80-90% cooked, as this allows for extra cooking when simmering with the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Frozen is always a great option when you don't have fresh spinach on hand or are short on time. Frozen spinach is packed tightly so I'd recommend using slightly less. You will also need to cook it slightly longer, as it has more water content.
Yes, saag aloo is packed with iron-rich spinach or leafy greens. Potatoes are rich in potassium.
You can roast them or cook them in the microwave instead. You can also add them directly to the dish with some water, cover the lid, and let the potatoes soften that way as well.
This saag aloo recipe contains asafetida, which contains gluten. If you have celiac or are avoiding all gluten, remove the asafetida.
Sometimes, when garlic and spices are cooked too long or browned too much, the dish can take on a bitter taste. Another reason for the bitter taste may be that too much turmeric was added. To fix this, add more lemon, salt, or sugar to your dish and taste test it.
What to Serve with Spinach and Potato Curry
- Your favorite dal and rice dish.
- Eat it with Moong Dal Khichdi as your side.
- Roti, naan, or paratha.
- Cucumber Raita
If you loved this Saag Aloo recipe, let me know in the comments below! I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my weekly emails on the right so you never miss a new recipe!
📖 Recipe
Saag Aloo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb yukon golden potatoes
- 8 oz fresh baby spinach, or any seasonal leafy greens
- 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida, hing
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon green chilli, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes or 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoons salt + more for boiling potatoes
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi, (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 teaspoon lemon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 handful cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ cup water, plus more, if needed
Instructions
Boil the Potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes and dice them into larger chunks (about 1 inch). Place them in a pot of boiling water, then add a pinch of ground turmeric and a generous amount of salt (it should be salty like seawater). Cover and boil them until they are about 80-90% done (about 7-8 minutes). A knife should easily pierce through the potato while retaining some firmness. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
- While the potatoes are boiling, wash your spinach (if you're not using baby spinach, remove stems and keep only the leaves), roughly chop the spinach, chop your onions, and mince your garlic, ginger, and green chili.
Temper seeds.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat with oil. Once hot, add mustard and cumin seeds. Quickly reduce the heat. Once the seeds start popping, add the asafetida, and give it a quick stir.
Make the Base.
- Add the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes until golden browned and softened, stirring occasionally. If the onions start to stick, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.
Add the Spices.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and green chili to the onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the turmeric, coriander, amchur, kashmiri chili, and garam masala. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and salt, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens into a base (you will see the oil separating). Crumble the kasoori methi in and stir. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan.
Combine.
- Add in the boiled potatoes and give it a stir. Add in the spinach a little bit at a time. As it wilts, add more. Let the aloo saag cook for about 5 minutes, then add lemon juice and sugar, mix well. Top with chopped cilantro and serve warm.
Notes
- To make the dish less spicy, omit the green chili and the Kashmiri red chili.
- To make it spicier, add more red chili or green chilies to the dish. Serrano peppers are spicier and work well with the dish.
- To make this dish gluten-free, omit the asafetida.
Nutrition Info
Just looking it so attractive I will tell my wife to make soon
Thank you Shweta for posting