Aloo Palak | Indian Spinach & Potato Stir-fry
A super easy and delicious recipe for Aloo palak. Completely vegan and gluten-free and perfect for any busy day or night. Ready in 30 mins.
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons oil
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 red chili broken into 3 or 4 pieces
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- Pinch of Asafoetida Optional, also called hing, Use gluten-free hing if you prefer
- 1 cup of thinly sliced onion around 1 medium onion
- 3 big potatoes around 1.5 lb
- 3 cups of finely chopped spinach
- Salt to taste around 1.5 to 2 teaspoons
Ground Spices
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam masala optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Slice the onions lengthwise into thin slices.
- Cut the potatoes into approximately ¾ inch cubes, not any bigger to make sure they cook faster. Cut the potatoes just before adding to the pan to avoid browning. I usually cut them while sauteing onions.
- Wash the spinach really well and separate the stems and any bad leaves. Now chop the leaves finely and keep them ready. You can do this after adding the potatoes to the pan too to save time. Tip: It is always a good idea to soak the leafy greens in water for few minutes and then wash multiple times to remove any unwanted dirt.
Making Palak Aloo recipe
- Heat a wide stir fry pan and add oil when it is hot. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Then add chopped garlic, broken red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida, and turmeric and saute for a few seconds.
- Then add sliced onions and ¼ teaspoon of salt to help onions cook faster. Saute onions for 2 or 3 minutes just until they are a little translucent.
- Then add coriander powder, cumin powder, and stir well. Saute the spice powders with onions for a minute.
- Now add potato cubes,1 teaspoon of salt, and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the potatoes are almost done while stirring every couple of minutes to avoid burning. If required, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water while the potatoes are cooking.
- When the potatoes are almost cooked, add chopped spinach, mix well and cook uncovered for around 3 to 4 minutes until the spinach and potatoes are well done but not overcooked.
- Check the seasonings and add more salt or spices if needed. Also, add ¼ teaspoon of garam masala if you prefer.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice, roti or naan, and plain yogurt on the side.
Notes
- Cut potatoes into ½ to ¾ inch cubes to make them cook faster.
- Do not cook for a long time after adding spinach to preserve the nutrients.
- You can add other vegetables like chopped carrots, beans or peas, etc... Add them at the same time as potatoes and cut them smaller than potatoes.
- This Aloo palak sabzi is not at all spicy. So if you prefer, you can increase the spice levels by increasing the amount of coriander powder and cumin powder and also by adding 1 or 2 green chillies. Similarly, you can also reduce the spice levels by skipping the red chili and reducing the spice powders.