Aloo Palak
This aloo palak is a healthy and nutritious side dish for your Indian bread like roti, paratha or naan. Here boiled and pan-fried potatoes are added into the vibrant, mild yet flavorful spinach gravy.
The gravy version: unlike other recipes (that you find on the internet), this aloo palak is North Indian style where vibrant green spinach gravy is made and then cooked potatoes are added.
When it says Dhaba style aloo palak, they add deep-fried potatoes to the gravy. To cut down the calories and to make it healthy, I boiled the potatoes in instant pot (pressure cooker) and then pan-fried them with little oil to get the crisp edges (just like fried potatoes have).
❤️ You’ll Love This Aloo Palak Recipe
- It’s warm, comforting and packed with nutrients.
- It’s healthy yet super delicious.
- It gets ready in under 45 minutes.
- It’s not creamy: unlike palak paneer or chana palak, there is no heavy cream or cashews added. So this one is light on the tummy and perfect for the everyday menu.
- Make a large batch and store for later: Many times I make a large batch of spinach gravy only from this aloo palak. Then freeze the gravy into silicone molds.
- So I just have to cook the potatoes on busy weeknights to make aloo palak.
- Alternately, you can use cooked chickpeas, tofu, cooked mushroom, or cooked mixed veggies.
- This curry is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
🧾 Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes: I prefer to use Yukon gold or red skin potatoes.
- Spinach: If using regular spinach (desi palak) then discard the stems. Otherwise, gravy will become bitter and metallic tasting. If using baby spinach then no need to worry about removing stems.
- Green chilies: This is the only ingredient that provides the spicy taste and heat to the dish. So use accordingly. if you like spicy add more. If you want a mild dish then use fewer chilies.
- Garam masala: I have used my homemade garam masala here.
- Kasoori methi: Always crush the kasoori methi between your palm before adding to release its flavor and aroma.
👩🍳 How To Make Aloo Palak Gravy? (Pics)
Prep:
- Boil the potato in instant pot or pressure cooker. Do not overboil the potato otherwise it comes super soft and mushy. Boil the potato until just soft yet hold the shape.
- Let the potato cool to touch then peel and discard the skin.
- While potatoes are cooling, chop onion, ginger, garlic and tomato. Prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Cut the potato into cubes once it’s cooled down completely. If you cut the warm or hot boiled potato then it can break or mash easily and you don’t get clean cubes of potato.
Pan-Frying Potatoes (Optional):
1) Heat 2-3 teaspoons of oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Once hot add cubed potatoes and sprinkle a little salt.
2) Fry until they are lightly golden around the edges. Toss them around after some time so they get even browning from all the sides. Once done remove it to a plate and keep it aside.
Making Spinach Paste:
1) In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Once hot add ginger, garlic and green chili. Saute for a minute or until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
2) Add chopped onion and sprinkle a little salt to speed up the cooking process.
3) Cook until the onion starts to soften and becomes light pink in color.
4) Add chopped spinach leaves.
5) Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Do not overcook otherwise spinach loses its green color.
6) Let the mixture cool down slightly and then grind into a smooth paste.
Making Aloo Palak:
1) Wipe down the pan using a paper towel and heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in it on medium heat. Once hot add chopped tomatoes.
2) Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Mash them with the back of the spatula.
3) Add cumin powder, coriander powder and remaining salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
4) Add prepared spinach puree and mix well.
5) Add about ½ cup of water to the blender jar, swirl it around to clean up the excess gravy and add that water to the pan, mix. Let it come to a boil.
6) As soon as it starts boiling, add pan-fried potatoes and stir.
7) Add crushed kasoori methi and garam masala.
8) Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust the gravy consistency by adding water or by simmering it for a few more minutes. Aloo palak is ready to serve.
💭 Expert Tips For Aloo Palak Recipe
- Tips to get vibrant green color:
- After adding spinach leaves, cook until the leaves are wilted. Once wilted, no need to cook further.
- After adding spinach paste, no need to simmer it. Just one boil is enough.
- The more it simmers, it loses its green color.
- Pan frying the potatoes is optional. You can just add the boiled, cubed potatoes.
- Instead of pan-frying, you can deep fry the potatoes just like you find in dhabas and some restaurants.
- Adjust the number of green chilies as per the liking spice level. The given amount gives a medium to mild taste.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- Serve aloo palak with any Indian bread like plain or beetroot roti, ajwain paratha, garlic naan, tandoori roti, etc.
- It can be served with plain basmati rice or jeera rice.
- To make a complete meal, serve indian onion salad (pyaaz lachha), papad and mango pickle on the side.
Check Out Other Spinach Recipes
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Aloo Palak Recipe (Gravy)
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ingredients
For Spinach Paste:
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 3-4 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 inch Ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 Green chilies, cut into big pieces
- ½ cup Red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cups Spinach (palak), tightly packed, chopped
For Aloo Palak:
- 2 medium or 1 ½ cups Potatoes, boiled and cut into pieces (*Notes)
- 2 + 1 teaspoons Oil
- ½ cup Tomato, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Once hot add cubed potatoes and sprinkle a little salt.
- Fry until they are lightly golden around the edges. Toss them around after some time so they get even browning from all the sides. Once done remove it to a plate and keep it aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Once hot add ginger, garlic and green chili. Saute for a minute or until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
- Add chopped onion and sprinkle a little salt to speed up the cooking process. Cook until the onion starts to soften and becomes light pink in color.
- Add chopped spinach leaves. Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Do not overcook otherwise spinach loses its green color.
- Let the mixture cool down slightly and then grind into a smooth paste.
- Wipe down the pan using a paper towel and heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in it on medium heat.
- Once hot add chopped tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Mash them with the back of the spatula.
- Add cumin powder, coriander powder and remaining salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
- Add prepared spinach puree and mix well.
- Add about ½ cup of water to the blender jar, swirl it around to clean up the excess gravy and add that water to the pan, mix. Let it come to a boil.
- As soon as it starts boiling, add pan-fried potatoes and stir.
- Add crushed kasoori methi and garam masala. Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Adjust the gravy consistency by adding water or by simmering it for a few more minutes.
Notes
- After adding spinach leaves, cook until the leaves are wilted. Once wilted, no need to cook further.
- After adding spinach paste to aloo palak, no need to simmer it. Just one boil is enough.
- The more it simmers, it loses its green color.
Amazing! Really good if you add salmon too.