Some recipes are like that. Like: Hey! Here’s this amazing, finger-lickingly delicious Aloo Palak recipe! We all love it! Please try! insert recipe No fancy story, no secret tricks and tips, nothing elaborate. Just a recipe with a one-line description. But I can’t really do that, otherwise it would be more like allrecipes.com and not a blog. But I’ll have to make a slight exception for this recipe because, legitimately, I have no back story. It’s just a really, REALLY, good recipe I want to share with ya’ll. Bas. I do have a few tips, though.
🔥 Why this Aloo Palak is totally out of this world
Its quick, easy, budget-friendly, only uses one pot and also doesn’t use any exotic ingredients you wouldn’t already have at home It has a great spinach-to-potato ratio. And if you know, you know the ratio struggle is real. Spinach is super duper healthy (but we all know that, right?!) It makes having a full vegetarian meal quite enjoyable, as opposed to a miserable affair (views expressed by my husband) This is one of those curries that goes really well in a toastie. I’m being 101% serious. Try it with some cheese, you will thank me after! The fragrance the dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) adds to this is 🤌 chefs kiss It’s just really really really good, ok?
Aloo Palak is totally one of those nice, simple, homely sort of recipes that every household should keep in their repertoire. It’s definitely comes under the elusive rank of ‘comfort food to remind you of home’ when paired alongside a buttered roti or paratha.
📃 Method
This simple recipe comes together really quick. We start by browning some onion in either oil or ghee, until lightly golden. Follow that up with sliced potatoes, green chilli, ginger, garlic and spices (Pro tip: if you’re pressed for time, slice the potatoes thin so they cook quicker). Now comes some water and tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and cook for 10 minutes over a low flame. Once that’s done, we’re going to add some chopped fresh spinach. Cover again, and continue to cook this for 5 additional minutes. This won’t need any additional water, as the spinach itself will let out a lot of its own moisture. If at this stage, the potatoes aren’t cooked through, give it an additional 5-10 minutes covered over a low heat. Once you’ve given the spinach 5 minutes, uncover the lid and turn the heat up to about a medium flame, and allow any excess water to cook out. You want to bring this to a point where there isn’t any dark coloured liquid in the pan, and everything looks ’together’, like in the served pictures of the Aloo Palak. At this stage, the Aloo Palak will need to be stirred a few times, so it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pan - HOWEVER, you need to be gentle to avoid breaking any potatoes. Stir in some dried fenugreek before serving. Fin. Simple, quick and ever so easy - Aloo Palak, you are such a gift.
⭐ A few tips when cooking Aloo Palak
I like to purchase the Tesco bags of baby spinach and then put them directly into the freezer. When it’s time to use them, I pop them out and give the bag a thorough battering with a rolling pin. It chops the spinach nice and fine without a lot of effort! Tesco brand optional If you’re purchasing bunches of spinach with the huge stems, weigh the spinach AFTER trimming off the stems. We only want the weight of the leaves. Once the potatoes are softened, you really don’t want to be aggressively stirring the pot lest the potatoes break. I like to holding both sides of the pot, pick the pot up and just swirling it around so the curry goes for a little spin. Works a charm! You can remove the skin of the tomatoes before adding it to the curry, if you want. You could also give the tomatoes a whirl in your blender if you don’t like bits of tomato skin in your food, but also don’t like the process of removing them Try and chop the potatoes into roughly equal sizes, particularly paying attention to the thickness. This isn’t just for aesthetic purposes - it helps make sure they cook evenly. This goes beautifully with a hot buttered roti. Alternatively, you can also stir in a nice generous spoonful of butter at serving time. Butter really complements the flavours of the spinach so well. For a creamier touch, add a few dollops of cream or yogurt right at the end of the recipe. This will also lighten the colour.
➡️Substitutions + variations
You can use any other leafy green you may want or have to hand, such as spring greens, mustard leaves, fresh fenugreek etc. Use cubed paneer instead of potatoes to make the classic Palak Paneer. Vegan ideas include chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, carrots, pumpkins etc. To use tinned or frozen spinach: use the same amount weight for weight, or 5oz/¾ cups.
🍽️How to serve Aloo Palak
This is one of those dishes that’s best served simple, as it is. I love it with with a roti or paratha. Naan also works great! In Pakistan, it’s not traditionally paired with rice, but there’s absolutely nothing to stop you if that’s what you like! If you’d like to serve it with another dish, I’d recommend pairing it with a dry tomato and meat-based curry, such as Chicken Karahi or Malai Chicken Karahi. Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
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