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bowl of saag aloo with naan and lime wedges on a table.
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Saag Aloo

Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings: 4 as a side, 2 as a main
Calories: 299kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

Potatoes (Aloo)

  • 1 ½ pounds (680g) Yukon gold potatoes
  • 3 ½ to 4 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil of choice, divided
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Masala

  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons black or brown mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon asafetida (AKA hing) (optional, see Note 2)
  • 1 medium-large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, grated or minced
  • 1 inch piece ginger, grated or minced
  • ½ of a serrano pepper, finely chopped (see Note 3)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon amchur (optional, see Note 2)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder or mild Indian chili powder (see Note 2)
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • ½ pound (225g) Roma or plum tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to season
  • 1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves (optional, see Note 4)
  • 10 ounces (285g) baby spinach
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ to 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 big handful of cilantro (~12g), chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Scrub the potatoes (I don’t peel). Slice into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks.
  • Transfer potatoes to a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with oil (1 to 1 ½ tablespoons) and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread out in a single layer (if they overlap on top of each other, use two sheet pans).
  • Roast for 20 to 25 minutes without flipping, or until browned in spots and tender but not super soft.
  • Meanwhile, make the masala. Keep a small bowl of water near the stove. Grab a flat-ended spatula.
  • Heat a large, deep sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 ½ TBSP oil. Once shimmering, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds; shake the pan back and forth or stir frequently. Once they start popping (30 to 60 seconds), add the asafetida if using, and stir constantly for 10 seconds (it will smell funky!).
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Season with a pinch of salt, and cook until golden browned and softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water as needed to deglaze.
    a. While the onions cook, chop the baby spinach.
  • To the onions, add the garlic, ginger, green chile, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring very frequently. Add the turmeric, coriander, amchur if using, chile powder, and several cracks of pepper. Cook, stirring almost constantly, for 30 seconds. If the mixture sticks, add a splash of water to deglaze.
  • Add in the tomatoes and 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, using the tomato juices to deglaze the pan and scrape up the browned bits. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes have fully softened and it’s turning into a thick, saucy texture. Crush in the fenugreek leaves with your hands and toss to coat.
  • Add the roasted potatoes to the masala and toss to coat for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
  • Increase the heat to medium-high and add in about ¼ of the baby spinach. Cook the spinach, as if you’re stir frying it. Once it wilts a bit and you have more space, add another batch of spinach and repeat. Cook briefly until just tender and wilted.
  • Take off the heat, and stir in the garam masala, lemon juice, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt.

Notes

1. Multitasking: While the potatoes roast, chop the onion, tomatoes, ginger/garlic/chile pepper, and prep the spices. While the onions cook, chop the spinach. This multitasking is factored into the prep and cook time.
2. Asafoetida (aka "hing") has a musky smell and adds a quintessential Indian flavor; omit if you don’t have it. It typically contains small amounts of gluten, so omit if GF.
If you don’t amchur, add more lemon juice at finishing.
If you don’t have a mild red chile powder, sub with ¾ tsp paprika + ¼ tsp cayenne. All spices are sold at Indian grocers or online.
3. ½ serrano pepper with the membranes/seeds intact will yield a moderate heat. For spicy!, use 1 full pepper. For mild heat, omit entirely. 
4. Fenugreek leaves are also sold as kasuri methi. They add a very unique flavor and have no substitute. You can find them at Indian grocers or online. If you don’t have it, you may want to add more garam masala to taste