My friend, Sophie, came over recently and we tried our hand at cooking an Indian dish. The result was...okay...but not as good as something you would get in a real Indian restaurant. I didn't have cumin seeds, only cumin powder, so that might have interfered with the taste a bit. It was spicy, thanks to the peppers, but didn't have that traditional Indian flavor we were looking for. Oh well, it was worth a shot!
Aloo Palak
Adapted from Recipezaar
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 bunches spinach
1 red onion, diced
2 green chili peppers (we used jalapenos...heh...), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Russet potatoes, cubed
1 tsp turmeric
4 Tbs butter
1 tsp cumin powder (or seeds, if you have them)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Procedure:
1. Cook spinach with onion, peppers and garlic until wilted and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes with the turmeric for 8-10 minutes, or until fork tender. (They turn yellow from the turmeric---cool!)
3. Puree the spinach mixture in a food processor or blender.
4. Heat the butter and the cumin in a large skillet over medium heat until the cumin is fragrant--be careful not to burn the butter!
5. Add the spinach mixture and simmer for about 5 mintues. Then add the drained potatoes, and heat for additional 2-5 minutes.
Serve with basmati rice and naan! Yum!