Madhur Jaffrey Saag Aloo Recipe
Madhur Jaffrey’s Saag Aloo is a comforting North Indian vegetarian dish of potatoes (aloo) gently cooked with spinach (saag) in a fragrant tempering of cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and turmeric. It’s dry or lightly saucy, earthy, mildly spiced, and full of texture – crisp-tender potatoes contrasting with silky spinach. Unlike creamy saag paneer, this stays light and fresh, making it perfect as a side or even a light main with rice or roti.
- Prep Time: 12
- Cook Time: 28
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) fresh spinach (or frozen, thawed and drained)
- 3–4 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 3–4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1–2 fresh green chilies, finely chopped (adjust for heat)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½–1 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Parboil the potatoes. Place potato cubes in a pot, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Cook 5–6 minutes until just starting to soften but still firm. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare the spinach. If using fresh spinach, wash thoroughly, remove tough stems, and chop coarsely. If frozen, thaw and squeeze out excess water.
- Make the tempering. Heat oil or ghee in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle and darken (10–15 seconds).
- Cook aromatics. Add chopped onion and fry until soft and golden (5–6 minutes). Stir in grated ginger, chopped garlic, and green chilies. Cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add spices. Stir in turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander, and salt. Cook 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
- Add potatoes. Toss in parboiled potato cubes. Stir-fry gently 4–5 minutes until they start to get light golden edges and are coated in spices.
- Add spinach. Add chopped spinach (it will look like a lot at first). Stir well, cover, and cook on medium-low 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach wilts completely and potatoes are tender.
- Finish. Uncover, increase heat slightly if needed to evaporate excess moisture. Sprinkle garam masala, taste, and adjust salt or chili. Cook 1–2 minutes more. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Find it online: https://britishrecipes.uk/madhur-jaffrey-saag-aloo/