Saag Aloo Food

SAAG ALOO

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pan, add 1 finely chopped onion, 2 sliced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp chopped ginger, and fry for about 3 mins.
• Stir in 500g potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks, 1 halved, deseeded and finely sliced red chilli, ½ tsp black mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp turmeric and ½ tsp salt and continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins more.
• Add a splash of water, cover, and cook for 8-10 mins.
• Check the potatoes are ready by spearing with the point of a knife, and if they are, add 250g spinach leaves and let it wilt into the pan. Take off the heat and serve.

SAAG ALOO

Steps:

• Fry the cumin seeds in a heavy bottomed pan in a bit of oil and butter until just starting to brown.
• Add the onion and fry until it too starts to brown.
• Add the potato, garlic, turmeric, ginger and garam masala and fry until the potato starts to soften.
• Unless you are using a non-stick pan, you may need to add water and cover to keep the potato from sticking and to help it cook. The first time I did this 1/2 cup at a time and it took about 20-30 minutes but I now prefer to parboil the potatoes, which means you add less water and it only takes about 10 minutes to finish off from this point.
• Add the spinach or chard and cook until it collapses over the potato.
• Salt to taste.

SAAG ALOO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and, as they begin to sizzle, add the garlic and chillies. Fry for a minute, then add the onion and continue to fry for 7-8 minutes, stirring well.
• Add the coriander and turmeric and stir well. Add the frozen spinach, put a lid on the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt. As the spinach begins to release its moisture, turn the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the cubed potato and ginger and cook for 5 minutes: the potato will absorb any residual moisture. Serve with chapatis or rice.

SAAG PANEER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
• Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, 5 minutes on high, then puree in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you can chop it up very finely with your knife.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's evenly toffee-coloured, which should take about 15 minutes. Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
• Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more melodious, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.
• Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve.
• Line a large colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth, and set it in your sink.
• In a large wide pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom (a nonstick pot works really well for this purpose). This will take a little while so be patient!
• Add the lemon juice and turn the heat down to low. Stirring gently, you should almost immediately see the curds (white milk solids) and whey (the greenish liquid) separate. Don't fret, this is perfect!
• Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor. At this point, you could squeeze out some of the liquid, and serve with some honey and some nuts, almost like a fresh ricotta!
• Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out the excess whey. Tie the cheesecloth to your kitchen faucet and allow the cheese to drain for about 5 minutes.
• Twisting the ball to compact the cheese into a block, place it on a plate with the twisted part of the cheesecloth on the side (this will ensure your block of cheese is nice and smooth!) and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with cans of beans or a heavy pot. Move to the refrigerator and let it sit about 20 minutes.
• Combine the cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds, if using into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind until fine. Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.

SPICED SALMON WITH TRAYBAKED SAG ALOO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 6 mins. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for a few mins. Toss the potatoes in a roasting tin with 1 tbsp oil, the turmeric, ground cumin and chilli flakes and plenty of seasoning. Roast for 20 mins, tossing halfway through. Boil the kettle.
• Put the spinach in a colander and pour over boiling water until wilted. Use the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze out most of the water. Rub the salmon generously with the spice paste and drizzle with oil. Stir the spinach through the potatoes and top with the salmon, skin-side down. Increase the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Return to the oven for 20-25 mins or until the salmon is just cooked. Remove the salmon to stir the cream into the potatoes, then replace the salmon and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

INDIAN SAAG

Steps:

• In a large skillet or wok, melt butter over medium-high heat, and cook and stir cumin seed, chile pepper, garlic, and turmeric until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the chopped mustard greens and spinach a little at a time, adding the tougher parts first (the stems and thicker leaves). Continue to add greens, and cook and stir until all greens have been added and all are thoroughly wilted. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and salt. Cover; reduce heat and simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the greens moist.

SAAG ALOO

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice water, and set aside. Place a large pot of water over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add large-leaf spinach, and blanch until bright green and tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, immediately plunge into ice water until cooled, and drain again. Squeeze out excess moisture, chop finely, and set aside.
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onion, and cook until soft and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilies and sauté until the garlic and ginger are light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the baby spinach and cook 1 minute. Add turmeric, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the blanched, chopped spinach. Season with salt to taste. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Add fenugreek leaves, butter, nutmeg, and, if desired, heavy cream. Simmer 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. If necessary, lower heat to medium-low. Serve hot topped with, if desired, fried potato dumplings.

WEEKNIGHT ALOO GOBI SAAG

Steps:

• Heat ghee in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add curry leaves, cumin, mustard seeds, and turmeric. Add potatoes, cauliflower, and chiles; cook and stir until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Pour collard greens into the vegetable mixture; replace the lid and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

RESTAURANT STANDARD SAAG ALOO

Steps:

• Par-Boil the potatoes with a 0.5 tsp salt and turmeric for around 10-15 minutes being very careful to just undercook by around 5 minutes.
• Make a paste of the curry powder, garam massalla and chilli powder with a little water.
• Fry the onion until translucent in the veg oil then add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry on medium for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the curry and chilli powder paste and stir fry for a further 30 secs.
• Add the potatoes, the Massalla Gravy, yogurt and spinach and simmer for 5 minutes or until the spinach is reduced, stirring occasionally.
• Add knob of butter and sugar - salt to taste.
• Now add the finely chopped coriander leaves and cook for a further minute.
• Serve with the whole coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.