A quick post tonight.
Though I usually relish time alone to cook and read and dig and cycle and generally potter, this week I am not enjoying my solitude at all. Still got the Rosie blues, I think! Rather than brood, I’m buggering off to visit friends in Edinburgh for a few days. Looking forward to a picnic in Princes Street Gardens, a visit to the current Picasso exhibit, shopping in White Stuff, blethering over pints in the pub and sharing a big Indian meal with my chums. 🙂
Adore Indian food. When I read Jenn’s post today sharing her first curry cooking experience with us, I knew what I wanted to blog about this evening. The following recipe is a firm favourite of mine. If you’ve got ghee, use it; it makes all the difference. Still delicious using butter or a vegetable oil though.
Saag Aloo (Indian style potatoes with spinach)
(serves 4 with leftovers)
750g new potatoes, halved
Salt
500g spinach
5 tblspn ghee, or other cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
More salt
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until just cooked and no more. Drain and cool.
- Wilt the spinach in a large pot with 2 tablespoons of water. Leave to cool then squeeze out all the moisture. Chop roughly.
- In a large frying pan heat the ghee over a medium heat. Add the mustard seed. When they begin to pop, add the onion, garlic and ginger. Fry for 4-5 minutes until the ingredients have browned slightly and combined flavours.
- Add the spinach and stir. Cook for 10 more minutes.
- Add the potatoes, salt, garam marsala and the cayenne pepper
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
Hi Wendy,
Sounds like you have a good visit planned! Hope the weather holds out for your picnic! Is the picasso exhibition on the mound? I am off to Edinburgh tomorrow for the day too! Graham and I are going to look for Wedding rings, but we will probably spend a fair bit of time in the old time in the old town and visit one of our favourite restaurants. I am thinking Banns or there is a really good mexican up the bridges, across from where the cinema used to be!
Have a good time!
This is lovely! I love potatoes, and have been thinking to feature it soon in my blog. But before that, I would try this curry. Yummy!
This looks very yummy! I would really love to try this. Thanks for sharing it! Thanks for stopping by today, Wendy. Glad you enjoyed the scenery. Enjoy your time in Edinburgh! 🙂
Oh I love this dish and yours looks fantastic! What a great post 🙂
Holler – There’s one at the modern art gallery (don’t remember its name – on Belford Rd though) and one at the National Museum of Scotland (is that on the mound?).
Have fun!
Anh – Hope you enjoy it Anh!
Carolyn – Welcome! Your photos are lovely.
Truffle – Thank you! It’s a definite favourite of mine!
These potatoes seem to be very delicious! I thank to its visit in mine blog, I was very happy! Already I added to together its blog to mine. Thanks, until more.
Edinburgh has some fantastic pubs, galleries and views so you seem headed the right place to distract you from your blues – hope curry and a pint and a blether will cheer you up!
Wendy,
With potatoes and spinach, this dish is a winner!
Hello Wendy,
I am sure this kind of dish will comfort any kind of loneliness. How do you do sleeping alone? I know I will have to check doors and windows and under the beds every 30min. I am such a baby sometimes.
Have fun in Edinburgh.
Have a super weekend !! Tell me about ghee. What would you compare it to for us in the States.
Oh my! These look yummy and I adore Indian food. Have a super trip.
Yummy! One of my favorite steps in this sort of dish is frying until the mustard seeds start to pop. I don’t know why, but I love the “automatic timer” quality of it, and of course, the smell is divine.
A note for Deb: ghee is clarified butter. You can make it yourself or find it in Indian grocery stores and sometimes even in high-end stores like Whole Foods.
Hi Wendy, have a fantastic trip! Sounds like you have lots of wonderful things to do while you are there.
This dish looks delicious. I love Saag Aloo too, and I use butter because I just can’t bring myself to use ghee… it’s a childhood phobia. I got sick once eating Indian briyani rice that had ghee in it and until now, I associated the smell and taste of ghee to that bad experience.
Heidi – Thank you!
Johanna – You were right. It worked a treat!
Patricia – I add more spinach than most recipes call for. Love the stuff!
Rose – Don’t live with D so am used to being alone at night sometimes. Do get freaked out occasionally though!
Deb – Thanks! As Christina said, ghee is clarified butter (which you can make yourself pretty easily).
Betty Jo – Thank you!
Christina – Love the pops too. 🙂
Nora – Thanks! Understand what you mean about your childhood phobia of ghee. Have a similar relationship to cider which goes back to my teenage years!