Sag Aloo

Potatoes are already so versatile and pair well with almost every other vegetable, if not all. This recipe uses a rather traditional combination (in Indian cuisine) of saag (the spinach) and aloo (potato).
Eat with roti or rice or on its own... It's all fair game. In fact, if I have leftovers, I even like to put it on my toast for breakfast the next day!

WARNING: I like mine to be super spicy. You don't have to do that! Just use lesser chilli powder and cut out the regular chillis entirely!
Also, I have all those spices, so I use them all. But, you can make this dish even without them, hence the separation of mandatory and optional spices. Whatever you do find, use it!

Yields: Enough as a meal of its own for 2. It can be an accompaniment with rice or roti for 4.


Ingredients

1. 1 kg Potatoes (Baby or regular)
2. 150-200 g Spinach
3. 3-5 cloves of Garlic
4. 2 Yellow Onions
5. 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
6. 400-500 ml of water
7. Limes
8. Coriander

Seasoning

Compulsory:

1. Salt 
2. Pepper
3. 1 tsp Chilli Powder
4. 2 tsp Cumin Powder
5. 1 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
6. 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder
7. Garlic Powder

Optional:

1. Cumin Seeds
2. Mustard Seeds
3. Sesame Seeds
4. 2 tbsp (Dried) Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)*
5. 1-2 Chilli(s)**
6. 1/4 tsp Hing Powder
7. 1/2 tsp Dried Mango Powder (Amchoor)
8. A few splashes of Maggi Seasoning

Instructions

1. Prep the potatoes, onions and garlic:
• Garlic: mince or use a mortar and pestle to turn it into a paste
• Onions: Diced as finely as you prefer.
• Potatoes: 
• Regular: Dice into even pieces that are bite sized. 
• Baby: chop into quarters.
2. Take a pan or pot that has a lid and is big enough that even with the potatoes in, it is only 3 quarters full. Add oil, cumin, mustard and sesame seeds along with the garlic into said pan/pot and put it on high heat.
3. As the oil is warming up and the garlic starts cooking (not browning or burning) add the onions and chillis** and stir. Turn the heat low and put a lid on. Let this sit for 2 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
4. Take the lid off and add all the compulsory spices. Stir to coat all the onions in the spices. Since there is so much cumin and coriander powder, it may resemble a brown lump! Don't get scared that you over-spiced! Add the hing powder, dried mango powder and stir.
5. Putting the pan back on low heat, add the potatoes and stir well to make sure that none of the onions are sticking to the bottom but rather, are covering all the potatoes.
6. Pour 400 ml of the water into the pan and again stir well. Add the fenugreek on top and be generous. Put the lid on and increase to a medium high heat. This will stay on for a minimum of 25 minutes as the potatoes cook through and turn slightly mushy while the water also reduces. Every 3-5 minutes, open the pot to give it a stir to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom and that the water doesn't entire reduce before the potatoes are cooked. Add more water when and if needed.
7. When the potatoes are cooked and the water has almost entire reduced or evaporated, add the spinach on top and cover with the lid again. Let the spinach cook in the steam for 1 minute and then take the pan off the heat entirely. The idea is to let the residual water evaporate and use that steam to wilt the spinach and cook it as it doesn't require much time.
8. While serving, a squeeze of lime is essential as it broadens and enhances the flavours by adding an acidic freshness. The chopped coriander is technically optional.
9. Et voilá! You have made a very Indian tasting meal! 

Garnish/Serving Tips & Tricks

• As mentioned in step 8, the lime is kind of the highlight when you finally eat. The coriander is simply a cherry on top.
• It is usually accompanied with rice or roti but you can always get creative...
• I usually like using baby spinach simply because of aesthetics.. You obviously don't have to do that... But just saying, its nice if you use both baby potatoes and baby spinach...

*If you have it, it's great! If you don't, don't sweat it.
**I've said this before- I LIKE SPICY. So if I'm aiming for milder taste, I use any green chillis I find. For spicier- habaneros! Jalapeños are a great option for a true mildness. Or skip entirely if you don't want it to risk it.