Monday, September 29, 2008

Delicious Aloo Palak



Palak or Spinach as we all know is a rich source of iron and calcium and should be incorporated in our daily diet.We normally eat spinach in the form of palak paneer; here is a different recipe to make spinach with potatoes and it tastes awesome with boiled rice.
Saarson ka saag is another very famous dish from Punjab which incoporates spinach along with other vegetables like turnip and is served with Makki di roti (corn flour roti. It's a perfect meal during the winter season.

Delicious Aloo Palak as the name suggests will water your mouth with its unique flavor and can be made any time during the year!!!!!!

Ingredients:

1 bunch palak leaves
1 large potato or 2 medium sized potato ( diced into bite size pieces)
1 medium onion ( finely chopped)
2 tomatoes ( pureed in the blender)
2-3 green chilies
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
2 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 table spoon olive oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the palak (spinach) leaves thoroughly and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Also add the cabbaage leaves to the spinach along with the green chillies. Add some salt to the cooker with 1/2 cup water and pressure cook the spinach for 10 mins or till you get 2-3 whistles from the pressure cooker. Once the palak and cabbage has cooled down, transfer them to the blender and just pulse the spinach. We are not looking to puree the spinach completely and want the hearty thich texture of the spinach. Transfer the mixture into a separate bowl and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the diced potatoes and cook the potatoes for 5 mins. Add the chopped onions and saute for 2-3 mins as well. Now add the turmeric powder and red chilly powder to the onions and potatoes and mix well. Add the tomato puree to the pan and mix well. Now add the spinach and cabbage puree to the pan and stir so that the spinach is blended well with the other ingredients in the pan. Cover with the lid and let it simmer for 10 mins on a medium flame till the aloo palak is cooked completely. Serve with roti or boiled rice.


Tip: You can also blend the spinach puree and refrigerate in the fridge it. Whenever you plan to make this recipe; just prepare the onion and tomato mix and add in the pureed palak and the dish will be ready in no time.

You can also add paneer instead of potatoes if required and the same recipe could be turned into palak paneer.