Indian cuisine is a favourite in our household, so I regularly create Indian-inspired dishes for family meals. I often make saag aloo as an accompaniment to go with curry, rice, and naan bread. However, it also makes a fantastic vegan meal. The saag aloo I usually make contains white potatoes, but I thought we would give it a try with sweet potatoes, and the sweet potato saag aloo I created was a big hit.
What Is Saag Aloo?
The word ‘saag’ means spinach or other leafy greens that are commonly used in Indian dishes, says The Spruce Eats. The word ‘aloo’ means potato. Therefore, saag aloo is simply a spiced Indian dish that combines spinach and potatoes. There are regional variations of the dish, and it is a dish for which many families have their own recipe. So, you can feel free to adapt the recipe to suit your own tastes and the ingredients you have available.
Not only is it a delicious dish, but there are also health benefits to eating sweet potato saag aloo. Both spinach and sweet potato are fantastic sources of vitamin A, as well as many other essential vitamins and minerals.
Here is an easy recipe for sweet potato saag aloo.
Sweet Potato Saag Aloo: An Easy Vegan Recipe
Course: International Recipes, Recipes, Vegetarian and Vegan RecipesCuisine: Indian4
main (or 6 side portions)10
minutes30
minutesYES
YES
YES
YES
Ingredients for the Sweet Potato Saag Aloo Recipe
3 sweet potatoes peeled and diced
250g bag of washed spinach leaves
3tbsps olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
1tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 level teaspoon cumin powder
2 chillies, one red and one green, deseeded and finely sliced
1 level teaspoon of ground coriander
1 level teaspoon turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions: How to Make Sweet Potato Saag Aloo
- Preheat the oven to 220C/ 430F.
- Put a medium-sized pan on the hob over high heat to bring the water to a boil.
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes while the water is heating.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the pan and cook for ten minutes until they are beginning to soften.
- While the potatoes are cooking, finely chop the onions, deseed and finely slice the chillies, peel and crush the garlic cloves, and grate the fresh ginger.
- Put a large frying pan on the hob on medium heat.
- Add the ghee or the oil and butter (see tips).
- Using a slatted spoon, transfer the sweet potatoes from the pan with water to the frying pan with oil.
- Cook for a few minutes in the oil, just enough to coat the potatoes in the oil and release some of the flavour.
- Turn off the heat on the hob, then transfer the potatoes onto a baking tray.
- Put in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are turning crisp and golden. Turn the potatoes halfway through cooking so they cook and crisp evenly.
- After turning the potatoes halfway through cooking, put the frying pan back over medium heat on the hob. If the frying pan is looking dry, add a little more oil.
- Add the onions, garlic, chillies, and ginger to the pan, and cook for two minutes until the ingredients are softened.
- While these ingredients are cooking, quickly chop your baby spinach leaves.
- Next, add the dried spices to the pan and cook for another minute.
- Then, add the chopped baby spinach leaves into the pan, and stir into the other ingredients.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and put them into the frying pan with the spinach, spices, onions, garlic, chillies, and ginger.
- Give the ingredients a stir to make sure the sweet potatoes are evenly distributed and coated in some spices and oils.
- Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, and give the ingredients another stir.
- Serve on side dishes, individual bowls, or plates.
Additional Tips
- If you are eating this as a meal rather than an accompaniment, try serving it with rice, chutney, and the bread of your choice.
- Saag aloo simply means a spinach and potato dish, so there is no fixed recipe for how you must make this. Feel free to experiment using different herbs and spices to create different flavour combinations to suit your tastes.
- Try adding some fenugreek to your sweet potato saag aloo if available in your area.
If You Like Our Recipe for Sweet Potato Saag Aloo…
- If you enjoy spinach, then you might also like our recipe for spinach and ricotta cannelloni with tomato sauce or our recipes for cauliflower and spinach curry, saag bhaji, or kala chana saag. The latter is a dish of chickpeas and spinach with spices.
- For more vegan recipes, you may enjoy reading our reviews of the best vegan cookbooks.
- To find the perfect wine to accompany this meal, read our article on pairing wine with Indian dishes.