Saag Aloo
Saag Aloo is a simple, comforting Indian dish made with tender potatoes and spinach, gently cooked with aromatic spices. It makes a delicious side dish, but honestly, it is hearty enough to enjoy as a lunch or dinner all on its own.
Serve it with flaky naan or paratha to soak up all those delicious flavours. It is the kind of meal that feels comforting without being overly heavy.
Saag Aloo
This dish is so delicious that I happily ate it again the next day for dinner. It has quickly become one of my favourite vegetarian dishes.
And did I mention it is pretty healthy too? You get a good dose of greens from the spinach, while the potatoes add that comforting, satisfying element. Because yes, carbs are absolutely allowed. Just remember, in moderation!
What You Need to Make Saag Aloo
- Spinach is one of the main ingredients in this dish. Saag refers to leafy greens, and while traditional versions often use mustard greens, spinach is readily available and works beautifully in this recipe.
- Potatoes, or aloo, are the other star of the dish. I love using soft, fluffy potatoes because they absorb all those delicious spices as they cook. You can, however, use whatever potatoes you have on hand.
- Spices are what bring everything together. I have kept the spice list fairly simple, using cumin, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and ground coriander. You do not need a huge list of spices to get plenty of flavour.
- Kasuri methi, or dried fenugreek leaves, is one of those ingredients I always love adding to Indian dishes. It has a wonderfully distinctive flavour and adds an extra layer of savouriness to the finished dish.
- Onion, garlic, ginger garlic paste, dry chillies and tomato form the aromatic base of the dish and add even more flavour.
- You can use fresh chillies instead of dry chillies. If you love your food hot, birds eye chillies will give you plenty of heat. Personally, I think Saag Aloo is best when the chilli adds a gentle warmth without overpowering the other flavours.
📽️ Watch How to Make Easy Saag Aloo
Full recipe with all the steps can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.How to Make Saag Aloo
Saag Aloo is such a simple dish to make. It takes around 30 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for those days when you want something quick and easy without compromising on flavour.
I once saw someone boil their potatoes in turmeric water, and I loved the beautiful golden colour it gave them. I decided to try the same method with this recipe and it made such a difference to the final dish.
Start by boiling the potatoes in water with some turmeric until they are tender. This gives the potatoes a lovely golden colour while adding a subtle earthy flavour.
Next, heat the butter, ghee or vegetable oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Then add the garlic and dry chillies and cook until fragrant.
Add the onion and cook until translucent. Once the onion has softened, add the cooked potatoes and cook for another minute so they can start soaking up those lovely flavours.
Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and become slightly jammy. This takes about five minutes.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and ground coriander. Stir everything together and allow the spices to cook for a minute.
Finally, add the chopped spinach. It may look like a lot at first, but spinach wilts down quickly. Stir it through and cook until just wilted.
Finish with a generous sprinkle of kasuri methi and give everything one final mix.
More Delicious Dishes to Try
If you do try this recipe, please leave a comment and let me know how you enjoyed it. I always love hearing from you!
Saag Aloo
Ingredients
- 200 gram baby spinach
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cut into fours
- 2 tablespoon butter ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 dry chillies
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 large garlic clove slivered
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 roma tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- salt
Instructions
- Rinse the spinach well, a few times and chop it up. Set aside
- Peel the potatoes and cut into fours. Place them in a pot with cold water, add the turmeric and some salt. Boil them until soft and tender but not mushy. Should take aabout 25-30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pan heat up the butter ghee or vegetable oil, on medium heat
- Add the cumin seeds and once it splutter add the garlic and dry chillies. Cook for a few seconds and add the onion. Once the onion is translucent add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the potatoes. Fry the potatoes for a couple of minutes and add the tomato
- Once the tomato is cooked, takes about 5 minutes, add the spices except the dry methi leaves. Allow the spices to cook for a minute.
- Add the chopped spinach and season with salt. Cook until it wilts. Add the dry methi leaves. Turn off the heat and serve hot with naan or flaky parathas
Notes
- I did not cover the pot at all during the cooking process as I wanted my dish to be more dry
- If you can get your hands on mustard leaves use that instead of spinach, it tastes amazing
Absolutely delicious and yummy, sooo good with rice n roti
Do enjoy your recipes…Cook them all the time and never disappoint. Thank you
This was amazing, sooooo delicious!
I added some chick peas to make it a main dish, and loved every bite, with Raita and naan.
You mention ground coriander in your, “what you’ll need” notes, but it’s not in the ingredient list. I added some along with the other spices.
Will be making this often.
Thanks so much!