Aloo Palak

And finally… I managed to update my blog!!! And that too with a gravy/curry… After a longggg time :) Recently, I won a food-voucher of MenuLog (an online food ordering system) worth $75 at Dhanya’s Spice Adventures! So, a big thanks to Dhanya for hosting a giveaway!!!
The day I received this voucher, I started exploring the restaurants around :P And as I have always said before, I love sharing such joy with friends! Invited 2 of our close buddies over dinner and we all went to Shavan’s Indian Restaurant for a wonderful dinner!!! Glad we picked the right restaurant… Food was absolutely delicious and yes, we were very pleased to see so many vegetarian dishes on menu (yes, it hardly happens) ;) Out of everything that we ordered, one dish captured my fine attention “Aloo Palak”!!! Not an uncommon gravy for sure but then we don’t get to have it at all the restaurants here :P That gravy was so rich in taste, of course quite healthy and finger-licking good..
Last weekend, I got a big bunch of spinach from market and thought to give it a try! And the outcome was superb… Not only that it was tasty, I found it super-easy and quick to make too :D I’m sure you would love to have it as well… Try it my way ;)

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch Spinach (remove stems and wash it)
2 Potatoes, cut into wedges or diced
1/2 Onion, roughly chopped
1 Tomato, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1-2 Green Chillies (adjust according to your taste)
8-10 Cashewnuts
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
Salt, to taste

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Blanch the spinach leaves and put them in cold water so that it retains the green color.
2. Parboil the potato wedges and drain excess water. Pat-dry using a kitchen towel and shallow-fry them until golden brown n crisp outside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add garlic, onions, green chillies and cashewnuts in it. After a min or 2, add tomatoes and cook until it’s soft in texture.
4. Transfer it to a mixer jar, add spinach leaves and grind them all together to make a smooth puree.
5. Heat remaining oil in a deep pan and add cumin seeds.
6. Once it crackles, add prepared puree and spices into it. Mix everything well and cook it for 2-3 mins uncovered.
7. Add potatoes into it and mix well. Cook for a while and turn off the heat.
8. Pour lemon juice and serve hot with phulka or paratha!!!

SJ’s NOTE:

• I used some baby potatoes here and cut them into halves. Yes, I kept the skin on ;)
• Also, you can add some full cream to make it richer!