Aloo Palak (Potato and Spinach Curry)

Aloo Palak, or Spinach and Potato Curry, is quite popular in Indian or Pakistani recipes. The soft, buttery potatoes melt in the mouth with the spinach combined, giving you a touch of perfect sweetness and savoriness at the same time.   

I have prepared different types of spinach recipes, but this one is an Indian classic dish. In Hindi Spinach means “Palak” and Potato means “Aloo”. Therefore, palak recipes are mostly delicious, wonderful, and even healthy.  

This recipe makes a full vegetarian meal quite delicious and enjoyable, and my kids love to have this addition with rice or bread. It is just really really amazing, okay? Try out this amazing aloo palak today! 

Also check out, Cauliflower Coconut Stew, Vegan Curry Chicken, and Curry Cabbage.

Spinach Health Benefits

Spinach or Spinacia oleracea is a very nutritious green vegetable that was first cultivated in Persia. This vegetable is connected to quinoa and beets and is related to the amaranth family. It’s also well known to be highly nutritious, as it’s high in antioxidants and minerals. Eating spinach can aid eye health, oxidative stress, cancer prevention, and blood pressure control.

You can prepare spinach in many different ways. Spinach is available in canned or fresh, and they can be eaten cooked or uncooked as a salad. Everything you need to know about spinach health benefits is given below,

• Spinach is a vegetable that is mostly made up of water and fiber. For more water to stay hydrated, include it in your meals and snacks throughout the day.
• Thylakoid extracts from plants like spinach have been shown in studies to suppress hunger. This occurs because they reduce hunger hormone levels while increasing hormones that make you feel full.
• Spinach is high in calcium, manganese, and vitamin K, all of which are essential for strong bones. If you consume enough spinach, your body will constantly remove and replace bone tissue.
• It is a vegetarian source of iron, which is required for red blood cells to transport oxygen to various body parts. Shortage of iron in our bodies can lead to iron deficiency anemia.
• Spinach has the necessary vitamins and minerals that boost our immune systems, such as vitamin E and magnesium. The immune system shields us from many disease-causing viruses and germs.

Why Is Potato Good for Our Health?

Potatoes are a flexible root vegetable that is a common household staple. They’re a type of underground tuber that grows on the Solanum tuberosum plant’s roots. Potatoes are very cheap and easy to grow, but they are full of nutrients.

They are high in fiber, which can aid weight loss by keeping you fuller for longer. Fiber can assist in avoiding heart disease by keeping cholesterol and blood sugar levels in control. Potatoes are also high in antioxidants, which help to prevent diseases and the nutritional benefits aid in good body function. Here are some potato health benefits,

Improves Digestive Health

Potato’s fiber content is known as “resistant starch,” which provides the health benefits of both soluble and insoluble fiber and produces less gas than other fiber types. Cooking potatoes a day ahead of time and chilling them overnight will increase the quantity of resistant starch in them. You can reheat them before consuming them whenever you want.

Potato-resistant starch from potatoes can operate as soluble fiber, making it food for healthy bacteria in the large intestine and enhancing our gut health. It can assist in preventing or treating constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, which is similar to insoluble fiber.

Decreases Blood Pressure

Potassium and magnesium are abundant in baked potato peel. When you don’t get enough potassium in your diet, your body retains excess sodium, and too much salt elevates your blood pressure. A high potassium diet can assist in lowering blood pressure, protecting the heart, and lowering the risk of stroke.

Boosts Immunity

Potatoes are high in antioxidants, which are substances that prevent free radicals from damaging your cells. Heart disease and cancer risks are decreased by eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits.

Have the skins on potatoes and select varieties like purple potatoes to get the most out of them. Antioxidants are found greatly in higher-colored potatoes like purple or orange-colored potatoes. Furthermore, the potato peel contains up to 12 times more antioxidants than the flesh. So don’t be apprehensive about eating your potato skins.

Treat Diarrhea

Potatoes, which are easy to digest and include mild roughage, may be a good component of an energy-rich diet for persons suffering from diarrhea. However, consuming too much starch can cause diarrhea.

Can Reduce Inflammation

According to a research paper, potatoes may be particularly efficient in lowering internal and exterior inflammation. They may soothe any inflammation in the intestines and digestive system since they are soft, easily digested, and may include a lot of vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6.

Potatoes can help persons with arthritis and gout because of their anti-inflammatory properties. This simple vegetable can cause weight gain, exacerbating these illnesses, and is frequently eaten with meat and other high-fat foods that aggravate gout.

Keeps Brain Healthy

The glucose level, oxygen supply, various Vitamin-B complex components, and certain hormones, amino acids, and fatty acids like omega-3 all affect brain function. Potatoes can meet practically all of the requirements above. They may be high in carbohydrates, which may help people without type 2 diabetes maintain a healthy blood glucose level.

Which Potatoes Are the Best?

The simple answer to choosing potatoes is to go with versatile potatoes like Yukon Gold, Désirée, or Maris Piper. These versatile potatoes are outstanding to use in curries as they can hold the flavors.

Waxy varieties like Jersey Royals or Anya will hold their shapes better when cooking, but they will not absorb the flavors well for curries. Also, waxy potatoes take time to cook.  

• Spinach: Feel free to use fresh or frozen spinach in your recipe. You can also reduce the amount of spinach if you prefer. 
• Potatoes: Use any kind of potatoes you like to enjoy with the recipe! 
• Coconut oil: Typically, I love to use coconut oil with most of my dishes as it combines well with the recipe. 
• Onion, garlic, ginger: Mostly, I chopped, minced, or grated them.   

• Coriander, cumin seeds, ground cumin, turmeric, paprika, sea salt: These are the essential spices for almost any South Asian cooking.  

How to Make Aloo Palak (Potato and Spinach Curry)

I have been making aloo palak for many years now, and it is still a huge hit when I serve it. I boil the potatoes and add them to the cooked spinach with a blend of aromatic spices.

I normally blend the spinach but decided not to do so this time. People eat with their eyes, and the pureed greens look like baby food. Imagine photographing it as well; just too difficult to make it look appealing.

However, whether you puree the spinach or chop, the flavors taste amazing! It is delicious served with roti, naan, or rice. I served mine with gluten-free flatbread, and it was so delicious. Some of my popular curry dishes are:

1. Jamaican Spicy Potato Curry
2. Butternut Squash Coconut Curry
3. Curry Cabbage

How to Store Leftover Aloo Palak?

• Keep the leftover spinach sealed in an airtight container for at least 3 days.  
• I will not recommend freezing them as the texture or potatoes can change, so if you do, be cautious. 

Preparing Spinach for Aloo Palak

• I usually examine the leaf of spinach to see if there are any insects, larvae, or worms. Get rid of the leaf if you find any.
• Then I spray vinegar on spinach leaves and keep it for 5 to 8 minutes. 
• Pluck the leaves, and I mostly discard the stems as they have a bitter or metallic taste. These stems are fibrous even after you cook them, so I remove the stems if the leaves are not young. 
• After that, clean them in a large pot of water, remove and place them in a colander. When the water drain entirely, chop the leaves. 

Few Tips and Tricks When Cooking Aloo Palak

• Spinach or palak tastes amazing if they are seasoned with minimal spices, mostly in powdered form. Too much spice can spoil the natural flavor of spinach. 
• Avoid overcooking the spinach as it can make it dull, and the nutrients can destroy that. Pour it after cooking the potatoes or towards the end of preparing the dish. 
• Make sure the potatoes are ¾ inch in size; otherwise, they will not cook fully and well. 
• Chop the potatoes in equal shape so they can be cooked equally, particularly paying attention to thickness. 
• You can stir in some nice spoonful portion of vegan butter at the serving time as it goes well with the flavors of spinach. 
• Why not try adding some fresh tomatoes? It will make it more delicious, and you won’t regret it. 

I love leafy greens in all varieties and I try to eat them pretty much on a daily basis. I have eaten even wild greens such as

1. Dandelion
2. Purslane
3. Lambsquarters
4. Nettle
5. Plantain
6. Sorrel

My love for greens leads me this past summer to the local farmers’ market where I would purchase my weekly supply of wild edible greens from old Farmer John. I was excited to see what he had brought to the market and he never ceased to amaze me. He even brought the Spanish needle.

Although I grew up with Spanish needles all over Jamaica and nowhere in Florida, I never tried eating it, so  I had to go and do some research. Here are some of the many health benefits!

Other Vegan Recipes To Prepare

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