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Recipe · Side dish

Saag (Spiced Spinach)

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Saag (Spiced Spinach)

Recipes and photos are AI created and editorially reviewed. Nutrition figures are estimates.

Tender spinach cooked down with onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli, then rounded off with warm spices and a little butter.

Side dish. Good with tandoori chicken, lamb curry or paneer tikka. Find a main

Cuisine
Indian
Serves
4
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Difficulty
Easy

Gluten-freeEgg-freeNut-freeVegetarian

Equipment: Large saucepan, stick blender

Ingredients

  • 500 g spinach, washed
  • 25 g butter or ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Put the wet spinach in a large saucepan over a medium heat, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Tip into a bowl with any juices and blitz with a stick blender to a coarse purée.
  2. Wipe out the pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onion and cook for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the turmeric and ground coriander, followed by the tomato. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the tomato breaks down.
  4. Stir in the spinach purée and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, adding a splash of water if it gets too thick.
  5. Stir in the garam masala, season with salt and serve.

Swaps and tips

For a more traditional flavour, replace a third of the spinach with mustard greens or kale. Use oil instead of butter or ghee to make it vegan. Saag keeps in the fridge for 3 days and freezes well.

Easy variations

  • Stir in cubes of fried paneer at the end
  • Add a swirl of double cream before serving
  • Finish with a sizzling tarka of garlic and dried chilli in butter
  • Stir in a spoonful of plain yoghurt off the heat

Nutrition estimated, per serving

ProteinCarbsFibreFatCalories
5 g5 g4 g7 g110 kcal

Values are estimates based on typical UK food composition data and will vary with brands and portion sizes.

Recipes are AI created and editorially reviewed; kitchen testing is ongoing.

Recipe from healthshelf.org

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