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    You are here: Home » Vegetarian

    Published: Dec 13, 2021 · Modified: Sep 23, 2022 by Saima · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases · This blog generates income via ads.

    Easy Aloo Palak Recipe (Potato and Spinach Curry)

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    Aloo palak in a wok or karahi.

    Aloo palak or spinach and potato curry is a lovely Indian sabzi that tastes really good with naan bread or roti. It is a healthy vegetarian recipe that’s also naturally vegan and gluten-free. Made with simple, easily available ingredients, this dish is a gem that you’ve got to try if you like Indian food!

    Love potatoes with vegetables? Try this dry cabbage and potato curry too.

    Sloo palak sabzi in a bowl with spoon.

    This aloo palak recipe is a simple vegetarian solution to your weekday woes of 'what to cook that's easy, nutritious, and doesn't take a ton of time'. It's made with a few simple pantry ingredients and comes together in 30 minutes on the stovetop.

    Aloo palak is a quintessentially Indian sabzi recipe: simple, earthy and loaded with flavor. The potatoes are simmered in a thick sauce made of red onions, tomatoes and spices, and the spinach is added to the softened potatoes as the last step. The sabzi is then cooked down until the spinach wilts and most of the liquid is absorbed.

    I make aloo palak sabzi quite often as I'm pretty partial to no-fuss and wholesome vegetarian food in my everyday cooking routine. This recipe fits the bill perfectly. Oh, and sabzi, if you're wondering, is a dry or semi-dry vegetable dish in subcontinental cuisine. That said, I like my sabzi on the saucier side. It tastes much nicer and besides, it is easier to sop up with the bread.

    I'm also extremely fond of this mixed vegetable sabzi and this aloo shimla mirch recipe (green peppers and potatoes stir fry). They are naturally vegan and taste so good with some hot, homemade rotis (Indian flatbread).

    🥘Ingredients

    Aloo palak labelled ingredients

    See recipe card further down for exact quantities.

    • Baby spinach, prewashed - saves some time since no rinsing is required and it cooks quickly and easily.
    • Yukon Gold potatoes, also known as yellow potatoes - the reason why we choose these potatoes over russet potatoes is that they have smooth, thin skins that don't necessarily need peeling. (I did peel them though as seen in the pic, but it's not necessary if you're short on time).
    • Light olive oil - any other cooking oil can be substituted as long as it is not too strong smelling like coconut oil.
    • Cumin seeds
    • Red onion - diced
    • Ginger - chopped fine
    • Garlic - chopped fine
    • Tomatoes - chopped
    • Ground spices - coriander, red chilli, turmeric
    • Sea salt

    🔪 How to make aloo palak curry

    Time needed: 30 minutes

    1. Chop the vegetables

    • Chop the spinach.
    • Cut the potatoes into small, even 1" pieces so they cook quickly.
    • Chop the onion and tomato.
    • Chop the ginger and garlic finely.

    2. Prepare the masala

    • Place a wok or karahi on your stovetop and add the olive oil. Heat the oil and when it starts shimmering (medium heat), add cumin. Wait for a few seconds, then tip in the onions. Cook until softened and pink (3 minutes).
    • Add the ginger and garlic to the onions.
    Collage: onions frying in oil; ginger and garlic added to onions.
    • Add the tomatoes and all the powdered spices and salt. Stir to mix everything well and cook until the tomatoes break down (5 minutes) and the raw smell of the spices is gone. If the masala becomes too dry, add a few tablespoons water while cooking it.

    3. Add the cubed potatoes

    • Add the potatoes and ¼ cup water, cover the wok, and cook for 8 minutes.
    Collage: First image - onion and tomato masala in wok, second pic -potatoes added to the masala in wok.

    4. Add the spinach

    • Now, add the spinach and press it down. As the spinach wilts, it will release water.
    • Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the potatoes and spinach are completely soft and cooked.
    • Serve hot with the bread of your choice.
    Aloo palak in two bowls with roti and dal on the side.

    💭Top tips

    • Make sure to dice the potatoes into small cubes for even and fast cooking.
    • Don't add the potatoes before cooking the onion-tomato masala fully. I find that it is best to add them after the onion-tomato masala is cooked otherwise they take a lot of time to soften, thanks to the sourness of the tomatoes.
    • On a similar note, don't add the spinach along with the potatoes. They have different cooking times, so follow the recipe and cook the potatoes for 8 minutes prior to adding the spinach.
    • Don't overcook the spinach or it will lose its bright green colour.
    • The spinach will release water as it is cooking, but don't cook down the sauce completely. Stop when the potatoes are cooked through and the masala becomes shiny. As you can see in the pictures, this is not a completely dry sabzi.

    🥗Side dishes

    The most common way to serve aloo palak is with homemade flatbread (roti). Of course, you can also have it with any kind of bread like naan, tandoori roti, paratha, or even sliced bread! In fact, I love having this sabzi sandwich-style sometimes, tucked between two slices of toasted bread.

    You can also make a simple dal (lentils) to go along with aloo palak sabzi. There are so many kinds of dal possible, I don't even know which ones to recommend here! However, since our theme is simple and easy here, this toor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) would be in order.

    Here's the entire collection of dal recipes on the blog, if you want more choice.

    More Indian vegan sabzi recipes and curries

    • Dry aloo sabzi - a simple and tasty Indian lunch. Comes together easily with a few simple ingredients like yellow potatoes, onions, garlic and some spices.
    • Baghare baingan - a delicious Hyderabadi style eggplant curry with tamarind, peanuts, sesame and coconut. It has some great layers of flavor and tastes wonderful with both bread and rice.
    • Bharwa shimla mirch - small green bell peppers stuffed with a spicy potato filling and baked in the oven. 
    • Mushroom masala - white button mushrooms, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cashews and just two common spices come together in this curry-style recipe.
    • Bombay potatoes - crispy baby potatoes wrapped in a few spices and dressed with lemon juice, green chillies and cilantro.
    potato and spinach curry in two bowls
    aloo palak in a bowl with spoon

    Aloo Palak

    Saima Zaidi
    Aloo palak is an easy but delicious Indian curry full of the goodness of natural and wholesome ingredients. Fresh baby spinach and tender potatoes come together along with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and a few spices to make this potato and spinach curry.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Brunch/Dinner
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 4
    Calories 262 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 cutting board
    • 1 Karahi or wok

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ¼ cup olive oil light
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 red onion small, diced
    • 1" piece ginger chopped fine
    • 4 cloves garlic chopped fine
    • 1 tomato medium-sized, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder add less for milder taste
    • ½ tsp turmeric powder
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt add more or less as per taste
    • 3 yellow potatoes Yukon Gold, small-sized, cut into bite-sized cubes
    • 10 ounces baby spinach chopped

    Instructions
     

    Preparation

    • Chop the onion and tomato.
    • Chop the ginger and garlic finely.
    • Chop the spinach
    • Cut the potatoes into small even cubes so they cook quickly.

    Cooking

    • Heat the olive oil in a wok or karahi (medium heat). When it starts shimmering, add the cumin. After a few seconds, tip in the onions. Cook until softened and slightly pink (3 minutes). 
    • Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a few seconds. 
    • Add the tomatoes and all the powdered spices and salt. Stir to mix everything well and cook until the tomatoes break down and the raw smell of the spices is gone. If the masala becomes too dry, add a few tablespoons water while cooking it (5 minutes).
    • Add the potatoes and ¼ cup water, cover the wok, and cook for 8 minutes.
    • Now, add the spinach and press it down. As the spinach wilts, it will release water. Cook for 5 minutes minutes or until the potatoes and spinach are completely soft and cooked. Serve hot with the bread of your choice.

    Notes

    1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes for even and fast cooking. There is no need to peel them.
    2. Add the ingredients in the order outlined so that everything gets cooked properly. 
    3. Don't cook down the sauce completely. This is a sabzi with a little curry in it. It is not completely dry. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 262kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 367mgPotassium: 1096mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 7060IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 111mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword aloo palak, Indian vegetarian food, vegan curry
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    Hi, I'm Saima! I live in Alberta, Canada with my husband and twin boys. Here, you'll find Indian recipes with fresh, natural ingredients and easy, no-fuss cooking techniques. Welcome to my blog!

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