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Tuesday
Mar092010
Aloo Palak: Potatoes and Spinach
March 9, 2010 
I reached for the simplest of subzhi (vegetable) recipes today, one that I love without limit. There are two things that I can and will dump into everything I make: spinach and mushrooms. In fact, I usually add mushrooms to my Aloo Palak, but to keep it simple today I didn't. But you can.
Note: another way to make aloo palak is to blend the spinach and make a spinach gravy. This is probably how it will be served if you order it at a restaurant, but I like it this way, nice and chunky.
So, above, the cast of characters: three bunches of spinach, four or five potatoes (yellow or white ones, not baking potatoes), two tomatoes, two onions, however many chillies you want (my neighbor uses three in her curries, I use half a chili when I cook) and a couple of cloves of garlic and about an inch of ginger. (Not shown in the picture because I was lazy again and used the paste.)
I was cooking during our daily meditation time and Chinua was there, up on the rooftop, meditating, so I took my own pictures. Sometimes with interesting results.
First, peel and cube the potatoes. No need to be crazy on the cube shapes, because how do you cube a potato? A potato is round, so naturally you can't make the whole thing into cubes! Really, only the middle bits get to be cubed, and the outside bits have to settle for being triangulated, or pie-slice-shaped.
You should put the potatoes into a bowl or pot and cover them with water. Add about a teaspoon of salt (or just pour a little in your hand and dump it in) and let them soak. When I first wrote about preparing potatoes this way, I didn't know why I needed to do this, but Carrien told me that it helps them to absorb flavors. Which makes sense and makes me happy.
Next you'll want to wash and prepare your spinach. Just chop it up roughly. If you are using baby spinach, (which is fine, most likely, no one I know has anything against baby spinach) you probably don't even need to chop it.
Next: prepare the players. Onions.
Tomatoes.
Solo. Playing on the floor. Eleanor wondered where the kids were, while I was cooking in the last post. This is where Solo was. Literally underfoot.
Prepare your chillies, garlic, and ginger. I didn't get a photo of the chillies.
The spice players. About a tsp of each, or however much you want.
Brown mustard seeds.
Coriander seeds. I rub them between my palms to open them.
Cumin seeds.
And a jaunty bay leaf.
This is where Solo is at this stage in the preparations. He's making sure the potatoes are soaking properly.
Cute.
In a wok, cook your spice players in a little oil, until the mustard seeds start to pop, and then add the onions.
Cook them until they're soft and transparent, and add the chillies, ginger and garlic. You want to have the heat low enough that it cooks them softly, rather than sizzling the edges.
Add the tomatoes. I find it helps the tomatoes to cook if the photo I take of them is incredibly blurry. If you're not taking photos, you can go cross eyed and kind of blur your eyes.
When you add the tomatoes, it's time to add the other players: salt, turmeric, and kasoori methi. You can also add some masala if you want. Masala is a blend of spices. Many people use garam masala, which I don't really like, because it has too much anise for me, but there are other kinds. My favorite is a kind called Kitchen King, and I add about a tsp. You can totally do without it, though. Remember to only add about half a tsp of turmeric, and use about a tsp of salt.
Cook the tomatoes until they separate from the oils or something, and then add the aloo.
I mean, the potatoes. Once the potatoes are in, it's safe to focus the photography again. You can refocus your eyes.
Add a little water and cover the pan. Turn it down low and allow it to cook for ten minutes or so. You may need to stir it a couple of times.
Then add the spinach. It also needs to be blurry.
I usually just cover it while it's on top, and let it cook down a bit, because if I don't, I try to mix it and spinach flies all over the kitchen. This time, though, I noticed that it clumped a lot, so it might be good to stir it in while it's still uncooked. Just don't be alarmed if spinach flies all over your kitchen.
After you add the spinach, cover it again and let it cook until the potatoes are soft. Add salt to taste at the end.
My friends, that recipe is the entry to another world, because with the players, I could have added any vegetable! Any at all! And it would have been amazing.
So there you go- this time I got a photo of it on the plate, with dahl and rice and raita.
And here are the kids, eating. Leafy is notoriously absent. He has about two seconds of focused eating time before he is off fighting transformers in his mind, and his mother is too busy taking photos to do anything about it!
Okay, a little review:
Veggies:
Potatoes
Spinach
Players:
Onions
Tomatoes
Ginger
Garlic
Chillies
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
Mustard seeds
Bay leaf
Turmeric
Salt
Kasoori Methi
Happy cooking!
in Food
Food 
Reader Comments (22)
Aloo Palak is such a fave of mine. That's so awesome you've taken up India's culture of cooking their amazing meals. You go girl!
In honor of Eleanor's comment last time, this was my line of thinking today...
-Chinhua is meditating? that's cool. Is the daily thing year-round or are they into Lent?
-Cooking with toddler underfoot and hands in food...this woman is my twin.
-Solo's hair is so light! Her kids are beautiful. I wish my husband wasn't so Caucasian.
-I would like to cook this... just wish I knew how to get kasoori methi, whatever that is.
-Is that the Famous Red Floor we're viewing?? it looks fun!
-And my favorite part about cooking in the East... the daily battle with rice on the floor, stuck to my heels, in her hair, on my pants... aahhh!
Great post (and photos!).
My love for Indian food just grows and grows..yum!
I love how Solo is right there with you as you cook..maybe he'll become a good cook too one day :)
I couldn't help but notice your dahl because it looks so perfect. Whats your secret?
Dang girl! Id like an invite to your world anytime...thanks again..for sharing...France awaits...
charm
Thanks for the link Rae, and Christine...that's the very first time I've had a commentbox written in my honour? Double thanks and a big hug!!
Now.
I tried to limit my emotions to a limerick, but an entire poem came out. So I posted it. Hope it makes you smile xxxx
.-= Eleanor´s last blog ..http://eleanorfromthecommentbox.blogspot.com/2010/03/solo.html" rel="nofollow">Solo =-.
Reading your post and looking at your photos has made my mouth water - I think I need to go and get myself some lunch now.
I have a toddler round my feet whilst I'm in the kitchen too - I love the fact that they want to be near you whilst you prepare and cook food. Hopefully mine will grow up loving ingredients, growing her own fruit and veg and experimenting with different foods and flavours.
.-= Jill´s last blog ..http://i-should-have-listened-to-my-mother.blogspot.com/2010/03/weekend-of-eating-cake-mostly.html" rel="nofollow">A weekend of eating cake mostly =-.
mmmm... going to try that tonight - looks great!
.-= SmitoniusandSonata´s last blog ..http://smitoniusandsonata.blogspot.com/2010/03/flying-zebras.html" rel="nofollow">Flying Zebras =-.
Ok this one I could actually make! I wrote that last time but I forgot I can't get red beans here. Also not sure on the mustard seeds. What about substituting whole grain mustard? Yes? No?
.-= edj´s last blog ..http://planetnomad.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/street-olympics/" rel="nofollow">Street Olympics =-.
Thank you, thank you! I can't wait to try it! You are like my very own Indian chef tutor!
It certainly looks good, bet it smells wonderful as well. Loved the pictures!
I wish I could try one of your dishes sometimes. They sound and look delicious.
Edj- what kind of beans can you get?
I have no idea what whole grain mustard is, but you can omit the mustard seeds, no problem. Likewise with the Kasoori methi. I think the most important are the jeera (cumin seeds), bay leaves, and turmeric. And the other players- ginger garlic onion tomatoes.
Charm- don't think we won't come!
Leslie, the dahl recipe is here: http://flyfishesfly.com/?p=89" rel="nofollow">Masoor Dahl
Christine, that IS the red floor, and Solo is a blondie- so strange and surprising, but so totally him. And I think I'll leave the meditation questions for a post.
And Eleanor! I can't BELIEVE that poem! Amazing, you are amazing.
just so you know, I am adoring these cooking posts. Your commentary on the photos had me laughing, and I love the little snippets of "real life" that worked their way into the recipe - just like real life does. :-) Oh, and the food sounds FANTASTIC. Now to figure out how to say all those things in Russian and find them at the market...
Hi Rea, I am so delighted to see this blogg that you have started, Thank you for letting old friends like me into your life this way, it is wonderful to see what you are up too.
Your family is beautiful and so are you, I am so excited reading about your adventures you are a true insperation!!
Love Danett
I see a cook book in the making.....
Wow, Solo's grown so much! I see he's busy exploring.
just stopping by again, to correct my own website address, should you ever want to go over! ha! I've been putting it in wrong everywhere! also, i love the shot of the children on the floor, around that lovely table, with plates of wonderful food. it's great.
.-= allison´s last blog ..http://blindlyjumping.blogspot.com/2010/03/im-boring-myself.html" rel="nofollow">I'm boring myself. =-.
Looks delicious! I can't wait to try it.
.-= Katie´s last blog ..http://wildprairierose1517.blogspot.com/2010/03/2-years-old.html" rel="nofollow">::'~ 2 years old ~':: =-.
Your favorite lurker here... have you ever posted how to cook daal? If not, would you?
If I make this, I'd be the only one in my family eating it, but so what?
Oh my goodness this looks tasty. I think I might make it for dinner tomorrow except that I have no children to help with the potato checking. Will this make a big difference? ;)
Kasoori Methi is dried fenugreek leaves and you can find them in any Indian grocery store.
Here's another tasty potato-spinach recipe you might like:
http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/potato-spinach-gravy.html