Aloo Palak

Aloo Palak is boiled potato slices cooked in spinach gravy. Tastes good with Chapathi and Roti.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2 to 3
Spinach - 1 bunch (approx 1 bowl of chopped spinach leaves)
Onion - 1 med size
Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10
Oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2 to 3
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Chopped coriander - for garnish
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil the potatoes and peel their skin. Make small pieces using a knife and keep aside.

Heat sufficient water in a pan and put spinach into it allow it to simmer for 5 minutes or till the spinach leaves turn soft. Remove the spinach leaves from pan and put them in ice cold  water for few seconds. This retains the colour of the spinach leaves.


Chop the onion into large chunks and grind it along with the spinach and cashew nuts. Add little water while grinding.

Add ghee and oil to a pan and heat. When hot, add jeera, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Also add ginger-garlic paste and saute for few seconds.  


Now add the blended paste to this. Cook on med flame for 2 mins. Add the potato chunks to this and also the garam masala, coriander and cumin powder. Add enough water to get gravy consistency. Add salt and mix well. Cook for some more time till the oil starts to separate.


Remove from flame and garnish with coriander. Serve hot.

Note:

This process of placing the leaves in hot water for some time and then adding them to ice cold water is called Blanching.

Blanching is done:
1. To retain the colour of the vegetables as in Spinach, Beans etc.
2. To halt the cooking process so that the vegetables are not overcooked.
3.  Also to remove strong odour from vegetables as in onions.
4. When you blanch nuts like almonds and pistachios, it becomes easy to peel their skin.