Aloo Palak Is The Spinach And Potato Curry Everyone Should Try

Indian cuisine has so many delicious dishes with layers of flavor, like rogan josh and saag paneer — but have you tried aloo palak? If not, it's time to open up your go-to delivery app or walk over to the local Indian restaurant and order this tasty curry. The stars of this simple spicy dish are potatoes and spinach – aloo is Hindi for potato, and palak, you guessed it, translates to spinach.

The basic recipe combines potatoes and spinach with garlic, ginger, onion, tomatoes, and a variety of spices. It's typically served with rice or bread, like many other Indian dishes. This dish has its origins in parts of northern India and Pakistan, and is still widely enjoyed in those regions, as are many potato-based curries. But happily, these days you also can find it all over the world, especially at authentic Indian restaurants. Aloo palak is a vegetarian and vegan dish, so look for it in those sections of the menu.

Aloo palak can be served as a main course with rice or with a lentil side dish like moong dal, or simply eaten with soft roti or naan flatbreads to mop up the juices. Because there are so many variations on the recipe, it can sometimes arrive as quite a liquid curry, and at other times be fairly dry. Of course, you can order other dishes with it and share family-style, perhaps with starters like samosas. As it's vegetarian, we like to pair it with a protein-rich curry such as chicken tikka masala or lamb vindaloo. But it also stands on its own and is served as an entrée in India, so you'll definitely be satisfied if you want to keep it simple or if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Making aloo palak at home is not as difficult as you might think. You'll need onion, chilis, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes,  spinach, salt, cumin, chili flakes, and garam masala (a common Indian spice blend) at the very least. Recipes vary widely, but you typically sauté the onion, garlic, tomatoes, and spices, then stir in the pre-boiled potatoes followed by the chopped spinach. However, traditionally, you would cook the potatoes within the curry, which requires adding water. Some recipes call for the spinach sauce to be blended. Others use fresh lemon and fragrant spices like fenugreek. What isn't up for debate is that it's delicious and only takes 30 to 40 minutes to cook.