Aloo Sag

Pin It Now! I have been gone from this space for a while. Demands at work and the growing needs (read as attention) of a 17 month old toddler. And so this little space took a backseat. But now am back. :) With this delicious Aloo Saag recipe.
The other day I impulsively bought a large bag of spinach from Costco. It was HUGE !.And then fortunately I found this recipe of Saag Paneer on Jugalbandi. I did not have any paneer so I replaced it with shallow-fried potatoes. Awesome !!

For one, I did not feel guilty about eating a rich curry. Coz its green - good and good for you. The aroma of the fennel and creamy-ness from the cashew powder makes it very different from any other curry I had earlier. I replaced the cream with the a 1/4C of whole milk.
With some warm rotis,salad and rice this makes for some tasty meal. It tastes better the next day so do make enough.
On to the recipe :-
The recipe is elaborate but definitely worth it. I usually make enough for 3 meals for 2.

Aloo Sag ( Inspired by this recipe on Jugalbandi )

• Drop about 5-6C of loosely packed spinach leaves into the biggest pot with boiling water. Let it sit for 10 min until leaves have wilted. Rinse with cold water ,drain and keep aside.
• Finely chop 1 large onion. Reserve half of it. Cover the other half and microwave till it softens (about 1 min)
• Add this onion to the spinach along with  - 1 green chilly,1/2 tsp fennel seeds(saunf), handful of cilantro
• Drop 2 tomatoes in another pot of boiling water and let sit for 10 min. Dunk them in cold water. Peel skins and grate/puree.Set aside.
• Make a 3rd paste - 1/2 onion cut  earlier + 2 cloves of garlic + 1/2inch ginger.
• Grind the foll. to course powder - 1 tsp coriander seeds + 1 tsp cumin seeds + 1 clove + pinch of turmeric + 1/2 tsp chilli powder.
• Finely grind 1/4C of cashews.

If you have all the above pastes ready let's assemble the final dish.

• In a pan heat some oil + butter.
• Add the onion-ginger-garlic-paste.Fry for 2-3min.
• Then add the tomato puree and the spice powder (coriander,fennel etc). Saute till most of moisture evaporates and mixture becomes thick. 
• Add cashew powder and mix well.
• Then add the spinach paste. If the whole things splutters cover with lid. If you find the mixture too thick add some water/stock. Check for seasoning.
•  Then add 1/4 C whole milk. Incorporate it well into the mixture. Simmer at this stage so that milk does'nt curdle.

Shallow Fried Potatoes

 1-2 potatoes sliced
 salt + oil to fry

•  Heat some oil in a saute pan. When its hot add the potatoes. Take care that the potatoes are not over-crowded in pan. If so do saute them in batches. Leave them alone for 5 min
•  They will take a nice golden color. Add a splash of water and cover and cook till just cooked but not mushy.
•  Add them to the sag just before serving.
• Serve with warm rotis and rice.

The recipe also included a tiny bit of nutmeg. I omitted it. Somehow my previous experience of combining spinach,nutmeg and milk was'nt so great. Add it if you like. BTW did you know a tiny bit of nutmeg can give you a good night's sleep ?