Spinach Potato Sabzi (Aloo Palak)
A quick, iron-rich dry Indian stir-fry of cubed potatoes and fresh spinach cooked with whole spices — naturally vegan, gluten-free, and ready in one pan in 20 minutes.
Equipment
- Wide pan or kadai
Ingredients
For the sabzi
- 2 medium potatoes approx. 300g; cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach approx. 90g; loosely packed
- 2 tbsp neutral oil sunflower or avocado oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chili optional
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 green chili adjust to taste; slit
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder adjust to taste
- Salt to taste
- Juice of half a lemon
Garnish
- Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions
Prep
- Cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes — this size cooks evenly in about 10 minutes without the outside turning mushy before the centre is done.
- If using mature spinach, wash and roughly chop it. Baby spinach goes in as-is, no chopping needed.
Sauté the whole spices
- Heat the oil in a wide pan or kadai over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the cumin seeds and dried red chili and let them crackle for about 20 seconds until the cumin smells toasty.
- Add the garlic and green chili and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn.
Cook the potatoes
- Add the cubed potatoes and toss to coat them in the spiced oil.
- Add the turmeric, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt. Stir well to combine.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, lifting the lid to stir every 3 to 4 minutes.
- If the potatoes start to stick, add a tablespoon of water. The potatoes are ready when a fork slides in without resistance and the edges have a little golden colour on them.
Add the spinach and finish
- Add the spinach directly to the pan — it will look like a lot at first.
- Stir the spinach through the potatoes and let it wilt for 2 to 3 minutes. Baby spinach wilts in about 2 minutes; mature spinach may take 3 to 4 minutes.
- Once the spinach is fully wilted and mixed through, turn off the heat.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice, stir once, and taste for salt.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve immediately.
Notes
Make-ahead: Boil or half-cook the potatoes the night before and refrigerate them. The next day, sauté the spices, add the pre-cooked potatoes, and finish with spinach — cuts active cooking time to about 10 minutes.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan over low heat with a splash of water to prevent sticking. The spinach will darken slightly on reheating, but the flavour stays the same.
Freeze? Not recommended — the spinach turns watery and the potatoes get grainy after thawing.
Kid-friendly: Reduce red chili powder to ¼ tsp and skip the dried red chili entirely. The cumin and coriander still give plenty of flavour without the heat.
No-onion-garlic version: Skip the garlic and green chili. Add a small pinch of hing (asafoetida) to the hot oil just before the cumin seeds for a savory depth without alliums. This version is also Jain-friendly.
Frozen spinach: Thaw completely and squeeze out as much water as possible before adding. Reduce the final wilt time to about 1 minute since frozen spinach is already cooked.
Lemon juice: Add off the heat at the very end — it brightens the dish, helps keep the spinach colour, and increases iron absorption.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!