Aloo Palak is a simple Indian curry of potatoes cooked in a smooth spinach gravy. The potatoes are tender and absorb the mild spices and flavors of the dish. This vegetarian recipe is easy to make and works well for everyday meals. Serve it with roti, naan, paratha or rice.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 3 medium-sized potatoes
  • water (– as required for cooking potatoes)
  • 200 grams spinach ((palak) – about 1 bunch)
  • 2 to 3 cups water (– hot, for blanching spinach)
  • 2 cups water (– cold)
  • 1 to 2 or 1 teaspoon green chilies (– chopped, can use serrano peppers)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee (or oil or unsalted butter)
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 tej patta (– small sized, (Indian bay leaf))
  • ⅓ to ½ cup or 1 medium-sized onion (– chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (2 to 3 medium garlic cloves + 1 inch ginger, crushed in a mortar-pestle)
  • ½ cup or 1 medium-sized tomato (– chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing), optional)
  • 1½ tablespoon gram flour ((besan), swap with maize flour or chickpea flour)
  • 1 cup water (or add as required)
  • ¼ or ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves ((kasuri methi), crushed, optional)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 inch ginger (– julienne for garnish)

Method

Boiling Potatoes

  1. Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker or steamer till the are fork tender. Make sure not to overcook them as they will fall apart while cooking later.
  2. For cooking potatoes in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker, add enough water to cover the potatoes.
  3. On medium heat pressure cook for about 7 to 8 minutes or until the potatoes are softened and fork-tender.
  4. Drain all the water and set aside. When warm to touch, peel and quarter or dice them. Cover with a lid and set aside.

Blanching Spinach

  1. First rinse spinach leaves thoroughly in water. Drain all of the water and set aside
  2. Boil 2 to 3 cups water with some salt in a saucepan or pot.
  3. Switch off the heat and immediately add the chopped palak or spinach.
  4. Cover with a lid and blanch the spinach leaves in water for 1 minute.
  5. Drain and immediately place the palak in cold water for 1 minute.
  6. Drain the water again. Then blend the spinach leaves together with green chilies to a smooth puree in a grinder or blender.

Sautéing Aromatics

  1. Heat ghee or oil or butter in a saucepan or frying pan or kadai (wok).
  2. On a low heat fry the tej patta, cloves and cinnamon till they become aromatic.
  3. Add the chopped onions and fry stirring often until lightly browned or light golden.
  4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds until the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
  5. Add the tomatoes and sauté till the tomatoes become soft and mushy. The oil should start releasing from the mixture and separate at the sides.
  6. Now add the turmeric powder and asafoetida. Mix and sauté for 5 to 10 seconds.

Making Spinach Curry

  1. Add the spinach puree and mix well.
  2. Add the besan or gram flour. Stir with a wired whisk so that the besan dissolves and there are no lumps.
  3. Alternatively, mix the besan with 3 to 4 tablespoons of water and make a smooth paste. Then add this paste to the palak mixture.
  4. Add 1 cup of water or as required. Season with salt according to taste. You can adjust the consistency of the curry by adding more or less water.
  5. Simmer the gravy or sauce till the spinach is cooked. The gravy or sauce will slightly thicken.
  6. If you simply want to make a spinach curry, then stop at this step and serve the spinach curry hot or warm garnished with ginger julienne.
  7. Once the spinach curry is cooked, you can also opt to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of light cream or cooking cream. Mix to combine it evenly.

Making Aloo Palak

  1. Add the cooked potatoes. Gently mix them with the curry. Then simmer the spinach curry for 2 to 3 minutes more.
  2. Sprinkle the garam masala powder and crushed dry fenugreek leaves.
  3. Stir and cook the curry for a minute.
  4. Serve aloo palak hot with some roti, chapati or paratha or jeera rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.