Aloo palak recipe | Aloo palak sabzi | Indian spinach potato recipe

By swasthi , on May 9, 2020, 33 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Aloo palak recipe – Stir fried Indian spinach potato recipe. Aloo refers to potatoes & palak to spinach in Indian language. This aloo palak is a side dish from north Indian cuisine made by stir frying potatoes and spinach. It is a healthy and delicious vegan dish made with minimal use of spices. It can be eaten with roti, paratha, Poori or even with rice.

Like most other kids mine too love potatoes in their meal. So I often make quick dishes like
Potato fry
Jeera aloo
Aloo methi
Aloo matar sabzi for their school box.

This aloo palak sabzi has always been their favorite and they love this stuffed in kathi rolls, wraps, bread sandwiches and even with lemon rice.

We try to include greens in our diet at least 3 to 4 times a week. I prefer not to over cook the leafy greens so just a few minutes of stir frying is what I do most times. This aloo palak is a great way to enjoy spinach as it is lightly sauteed with potatoes & spices.

Young and fresh spinach is best to make this dish tasty with mild flavors. I do not use any garam masala for this recipe as the natural flavors of aloo and palak are good enough.

You can also check this spinach curry, easy dal palak and palak paratha recipes.

How I made aloo palak

To make this simple aloo palak, I have first fried some sliced onions which can be skipped completely from the recipe. Then I fried the potatoes & cooked them until tender. Then I added some spice powders and sauteed the palak. That’s it. But here are some variations which I make other times.

Preparation for aloo palak

1. Pluck spinach leaves and wash them in a large pot of water. Drain and wash a few times. I usually spray some vinegar and rest them for 10 mins, then wash them a few times.

2. Drain them completely in a colander. There should be no water in the palak.

3. Chop them just before adding to the pan.

4. Wash potatoes and peel them. Cube them to ¾ inch cubes. Do not chop them large as they take long time to cook. You can also boil the potatoes first and add use them in the recipe.

5. Add them to a bowl of water and keep aside until needed.

6. Meanwhile slice onions, chop garlic and green chilies.

Making aloo palak

7. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds.

8. When they begin to splutter, add garlic and green chilies. I usually deseed the green chilies and use. You can skip chili if you have very young kids.

9. Fry garlic for a minute, then add hing. Avoid browning them as they may burn later when sautéed with potatoes.

10. Add sliced onions. You can also skip the onions.

11. Fry them until lightly golden.

12. Add the cubed potatoes and saute for 2 to 3 mins.

13. Pour 3 to 4 tbsp water and mix well.

14. Cover and cook until done.

15. The potatoes must be just cooked but not mushy.

16. Sprinkle salt, turmeric and red chili powder.

adding salt turmeric chilli powder to make aloo palak recipe

17. Saute for 2 to 3 mins. Cover and cook just for a minute.

Frying aloo palak

18. Add in the chopped spinach.

19. Stir fry on a medium high flame just for 3 to 4 mins until they wilt off. There must be no excess moisture left in the pan.

20. If using garam masala sprinkle it now. I usually sprinkle a tsp of toasted sesame seeds and lemon juice towards the end.

21. Serve aloo palak with puri, roti or chapati.

Variations to make aloo palak

Aloo palak can be made to a gravy or dry dish. Both the versions are commonly made in Indian households. To make the gravy version, I follow the same recipe of Palak paneer. I just add the boiled potatoes to the spinach gravy. The gravy tastes amazing with rotis or basmati rice.
Sometimes I also make aloo palak with boiled potatoes. I boil the cubed aloo along with rice in the cooker and then temper the aloo. Next add palak and saute. This method also saves a lot of time as you don’t need to cook the potatoes in the pan.
If you do not have indian spinach, for a change you can also make it with other leafy greens such as methi (fenugreek) or amaranth.
My kids love peas in this dish. You can also add some along with spinach to the pan.

Tips to make aloo palak

Palak or spinach tastes best with minimum spices especially in the powder form. Too much of spice powder alters the taste of the leafy greens.
Do not over cook spinach. Add it towards the end of making the dish (once the potatoes are cooked).
You can skip the onions from the recipe.
Ensure the potatoes are chopped to bite sized about ¾ inch in size. Otherwise they may not cook well & quickly.
To add a nutty taste add some coarse crushed roasted peanuts just before serving. Kids will love that. You can also sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds.
Lastly you can replace potatoes with sweet potatoes in this recipe.

If you are new to cooking, then these tips on how to prepare palak for the recipe may help you.

Preparing spinach for aloo palak

I usually inspect each leaf for larvae and worms. Discard the leaf if I find any.
Then I spray vinegar and rest the leaves for 5 to 8 mins.
Pluck the leaves and discard the stems as most times they have a metallic or bitter taste. The stems of palak are usually fibrous and stringy even after cooking so I remove them if the leaves are not young.
Next rinse them a few times in a large pot of water.
Remove and put them in a colander. When the water drains completely, finely chop the leaves. You can also use a food processor.

You can check more Aloo Recipes here and Palak Recipes here