Kale Saag with Potatoes

This dish is not about to get any awards for being good looking or photogenic but in the taste department it will beat palak saag hands down. What exactly is Saag you ask? Saag is a dish made of mushed up greens like spinach, mustard greens or other kinds of greens common in India. Saag like its more popular palak paneer is a dish common in Punjab and mostly in North India eaten with wheat based breads. While in the South the mushed up greens are slightly more spicy and no cream is added and eaten with rice and also millet.

For those of us who will easily find kale compared to other kinds of greens, why not make saag with kale? While mature kale is probably not very suitable for this dish, if you have tender leaves this is a perfect dish to make as will be this recipe with kale and moong dal.

While paneer will be a great addition to this dish, potatoes or even kidney beans will be great combinations. I parboiled the potatoes because I was in a rush but if you have some time, you can pan roast the potatoes and then add them.

Kale has another benefit compared to spinach, it is not as slimy and watery, so the next day the texture is still pretty good. I like my greens to be pretty spicy, so adjust heat according to your preference. I also love the aroma of methi leaves (vendhaya keerai) so added a bunch of those as well. This is purely optional.

I am not a saag person but every time I try it I am always more than happy. This time the urge was brought on by a colleague who brought palak chicken which was cooked by his FIL who is a chef. He had added methi for sure in the recipe which was what made me go home and try it right away. Lucky me I had kale leaves on hand and that helped.

Kale Saag with Potatoes
Preparation Time:20minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. About 1/2 - 1 lb of kale leaves washed and thick stems removed
2. 1 bunch of methi leaves (about a cup) - optional
3. 1/2 red onion chopped
4. 3-4 garlic cloves
5. 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
6. 8-10 green chilies (adjust to taste and also heat of the chilies)
7. 2 tomatoes chopped
8. 3-4 medium sized potatoes cubed
9. 2-3 tsp of oil (more if you are sauteing the potatoes in oil)
10. cumin seeds for seasoning

Method

1. In a saute pan heat oil and roast the potatoes so they get browned on the outside or you can parboil the potatoes. (I parboiled them).
2. In a saute pan heat a tsp of oil and when hot saute the onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies. When the onions start to brown add the tomatoes and let them get mushy. Let cool and blend to a smooth paste.
3. In the meantime blanch the kale and methi leaves and either using a hand blender or in a blender, blend to a slightly coarse or smooth paste. I left them slightly coarse.
4. In a wide mouthed pan add the rest of the oil and season with cumin seeds. Add in the blended onion paste and saute for 2. Now add in the blended kale greens and saute for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add in potatoes and cook for another 4-5 minutes or longer depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.

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