Saag-Aloo-Paneer (Kale-Potato-Paneer Curry)

Method

Preparation time: 7 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 52 mins
Servings: 4 people

I love saag aloo; that well known spinach (or kale) and potato curry. I also love saag paneer; substituting the potatoes for indian cheese. For a hearty, full meal, I thought why not combine them? The result, saag-aloo-paneer is delicious and of course, very nutritious, especially made with kale. If you blend the sauce well, children love this dish; one of our favourites.

Heat the ghee/coconut oil on a medium-high heat and add the chopped leek, garlic and ginger. Stir for 3-4 minutes.
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, fennel and hing. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
Add kale/spinach along with 170ml water, stir and put on the lid. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you are using only spinach, reduce the cooking time to just 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a little bit so blending is safe. Either use a wand blender to blend to a rough blended sauce or if you prefer a smooth sauce (perfect for children), remove from the pan and blend for a minute or two in a nutribullet/nutrininja type blender and return to the pan.
Add the paneer and the potatoes, stir into the sauce and simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the potatoes are cooked. You may need to add a little more water but don't over do it.
Serve with spelt naan, spelt chapatti or spelt pitta breads.

This recipe has been kindly supplied by KATE SIRAJ.
BSc in Ayurveda (Manipal, India, First Class Honours)
Qualified Shadow Work coach

Web: ayurvedapractice.com
Find Kate on social media using her links below.

Ingredients

Items
2-3 inches (6-7 cm) of leek roughly chopped
1 clove garlic roughly chopped (avoid if high pitta)
1/2 inch (1-2 cm) of fresh ginger roughly chopped
2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
2 tsp cumin seeds or powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste up to 3/4 tsp
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp fennel seeds optional, but helps with digestion
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida optional, but helps with digestion
275 g kale/spinach or mix washed and roughly chopped spinach (the more kale the better, I use about 200g)
170 ml water
220 g paneer cut into 1cm cubes (roughly this weight, use whatever the pack size is)
10 medium waxy potatoes unpeeled, cut into 1cm cubes (roughly 420g)

Top Tip

High Pitta – omit garlic and hing.
High Kapha/Pitta – use as little salt as possible.