Saag aloo con spinaci freschi

Ingredienti

• 300 g (10 oz) potatoes
• 1 tbsp light oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 green chilli
• 1 banana shallot
• sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional)
• 200 g (7 oz) fresh spinach
• thumb size piece fresh ginger
• juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

Preparazione

1. 1

   Peel the potatoes and cut them into slightly large bite sized chunks. Cook in a pan of boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan or shallow casserole over a medium high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook for a minute until just aromatic.

3. 3

   Peel and slice the garlic cloves, deseed and finely chop the chilli, and peel and finely chop the shallot. Add them all to the hot oil along with a good pinch of sea salt and cook for 3-4 minutes until they’re soft and the garlic is just starting to colour.

4. 4

   Stir in the coriander, turmeric and asafoetida, and cook for a further minute.

5. 5

   Finely shred the spinach with a large knife (there will be a lot of it, I do this in batches transferring it to a large mixing bowl as I go) and stir it in batches into the spice mixture until it all fits in the pan. Clap on the lid, turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted and soft.

6. 6

   Peel and cut the ginger into very fine matchsticks. Stir the ginger and the cooked potatoes into the spinach along with another pinch of salt. Return the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes; the potatoes should absorb any excess moisture from the spinach.

7. 7

   Season to taste with fresh lemon juice and more sea salt, if needed, before serving.