Aloo saag is an easy vegetarian recipe which can be made in pressure cooker or an instant pot for a healthy lunch. You can combine various greens like amaranth, fenugreek leaves along with palak to make this iron rich spinach curry recipe. If you do not have other greens at home, you may simply make aloo palak recipe. It is a simple recipe which is commonly served at most Indian restaurants. Indian cuisine has many recipes which uses dark leafy greens and lentils. hence you do not need to take iron from meat protein specifically.Be it saag paneer or dal palak.
Potatoes and spinach is a match made in heaven. Potatoes are so versatile and help you make food just yummy with simple ingredients. Whether you choose to make air fryer potato appetizers or potato curry, you can make a meal in a jiffy. Spinach is an easy green. Eat them in you smoothies or as a salad.
There are many Indian dishes that you can serve for a curry night. Indian cooking is perfect for busy weeknights. You may cook a meal and save a portion for next day lunch at work. It is both economical and healthy when you eat home cooked food. Little oil is good to make a pot full of yummy curry.
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Ingredients
- spinach leaves
- amaranth leaves
- potatoes
- onions
- tomatoes
- ginger
- garlic
- water
- salt and black pepper as per taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The steps include making a base onion-tomato curry paste first , adding the spinach and green puree, followed by potatoes.
For detailed steps of the Indian curry paste, please refer this recipe for authentic Indian curry.
Meanwhile, blend spinach with other greens amaranth and ½ cup water to make a puree. Add this to the instant pot and cook for few minutes until rawness disappears.
Add chopped potatoes to it and mix well.
Now add 1.5 cups water, followed by salt (if required)
cook for 10 mins on high pressure with seal ON , release after 10 mins.
Serve hot with vegan naan, roti or basmati rice if gluten-free.
Hint: You can make an authentic Indian curry recipe and store it for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. You may even freeze it. This helps you cook faster on a weekday.
Substitutions
- You may use even a deep sauce pan or large heavy skillet to make this recipe but ensure greens are pureed well. However, it may take a long time to cook. Hence, you may use boiled potatoes at that time. In that case, consider boiling potatoes a night earlier for a quick cook in the morning.
- Vegetarian - You may use ghee for tempering instead of oil. However its best to avoid dairy with greens as per nutrition experts.
- You may use washed baby spinach or frozen spinach leaves to make this recipe.
- Other things you can add to this recipe are peas, baby corn, chopped peppers and even soya chunks.
- You may use mustard greens, collard greens to make this recipe if you do not have spinach at home.
Variations
- Spicy - add some chopped green chilies or increase red chili powder in the above recipe as per your taste if you like it spicy. You may add a teaspoon garam masala for a special touch.
- Deluxe - add amaranth leaves (thotakura), Malabar spinach (poi saag), red sorrel or rosella (gongura) or fenugreek (methi) to replace half of spinach in the above recipe. If you like it creamy, you may add some coconut milk to the recipe.
- Kid friendly - add some peas to the recipe.
Equipment
- instant pot / traditional pressure cooker
- blender
Storage
Store saag aloo curry in a refrigerator for 3-4 days. You may even freeze it for later.
Top tip
If you have loads of spinach at home and cannot cook. you may blanch and freeze them for later. Use for curries or rice as per choice. Always add a dash of lemon juice to the bowl while serving. Acidic content of limes and lemons has vitamin C and it will help in easy absorption of Iron.
FAQ
A handful of spinach at least and at the max you eat maximum 2 cups of spinach per day.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
aloo saag recipe | instant pot aloo saag recipe
Equipment
- instant pot / traditional pressure cooker
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp. oil olive oil / mustard oil / vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large tomatoes
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste or grated ginger
- ½ tbsp. curry powder add more if you like it more spicy
- 1 teaspoon paprika or red chilli powder as per taste
- salt as per taste
- 2 potatoes around 300gms in total
- 200 gm spinach pureed with ½ cup water
- 100 gm amaranth or fenugreek leaves optional
- 1.5 cup water
Instructions
In an instant pot
- Heat oil in an instant pot and add chopped onions and salt to it. Once brown, add chopped tomatoes or tomato puree to it along with the spices and ginger.
- Meanwhile, blend spinach with other greens amaranth and ½ cup water to make a puree. Add this to the instant pot and cook for few minutes until rawness disappears.
- Add potatoes to it and mix well.
- Now add 1.5 cups water and salt(if required)
- cook for 10 mins on high pressure with seal ON , release after 10 mins.
In a traditional pressure cooker:
- Follow the same instructions as above, in a traditional pressure cooker. Cook for upto 2 whistles.
- Serve hot with vegan naan, roti or basmati rice if gluten-free.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation while using a gas stove.
Conclusion: flavourful saag aloo is an easy recipe which makes a quick and healthy meal.
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