Best Spinach With Tomato Saag Recipes

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SAAG (INDIAN SPINACH)



Saag (Indian Spinach) image

An Indian spinach dish similar to that served in Indian restaurants. This is great as a main course or served as part of a larger meal. Serve with basmati rice and a little raita if you like. The dish is also great with the addition of paneer cubes or boiled potatoes - though I love it plain.

Provided by GreenGal

Categories     Spinach

Time 50m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 -3 teaspoons garam masala (I use McCormick)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes, diced including juice or 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder (I use McCormick Red Curry Powder)
1 1/4-1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen leaf spinach
salt
water

Steps:

  • In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil on medium high along with ginger and garam masala until onions are translucent and begin to pick up some color.
  • Add minced garlic to pan, and cook briefly to soften. Do not allow the garlic to burn - lower heat if necessary.
  • Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Incidentally, you can add a little more or less tomato depending on what you have available, slight differences in quantity will not be noticeable.
  • Stir in yogurt. Do not worry if the yogurt separates.
  • Add curry powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and salt.
  • Add bag of frozen spinach and mix well to combine. There is no need to defrost first if you use a the bagged spinach. If you are using the frozen block, I would advise defrosting first. You can also use the equivalent of fresh spinach.
  • Add about a cup of water to the pot and cover. Simmer on medium for approximately 30 minutes. Spinach is done when the color has changed from the initial bright green to a much less vibrant green (almost brownish). If you crank up the heat, it is possible to cook this a little faster, but you have to pay attention to the moisture level. You may have to add more water throughout the cooking process if it cooks off.
  • Once the spinach is fully cooked, remove the lid and cook off any remaining liquid. The spinach should be moist, but there should not be much liquid free in the bottom of the pan.
  • Remove pan from heat.
  • Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, puree the spinach. Leave it as chunky as you like. You can also choose to puree only half of the mixture if you like bigger pieces of spinach.
  • Add further salt to taste.
  • I have found that I have to fine tune the spices every time I make this dish depending on how I feel that day. For me, adding further small amounts of coriander is the key.
  • If you like, potatoes, paneer cubes or chick peas may be added at this point.
  • ***NOTE*** It is very helpful to prepare all ingredients in advance of cooking so that they can be added quickly during the cooking process. I recommend combining the components of each step beforehand (i.e. pre-measuring the spices together) so that you can just dump everything in quickly as you go.

EASY INDIAN CREAMED SPINACH



Easy Indian Creamed Spinach image

Easy Indian Creamed Spinach is a deliciously easy variation of the traditional Indian Saag. Made with fresh tender baby spinach, this dish can be on the table in 20 minutes.

Provided by Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Categories     Main Course     Side Dish

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 12

16 ounces fresh organic baby spinach ((or can substitute a thawed 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach))
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium tomato , diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon jalapeno , finely minced ((fresh or pickled))
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup heavy cream ((To make vegan: substitute full fat coconut milk for heavy cream))

Steps:

  • In a large skillet, sauté spinach in ¼ cup water over medium-high heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked spinach from the pan and set aside to cool. **Skip this pre-cooking step if using frozen spinach**
  • In the same pan, add the olive oil and reduce heat to medium, then add the tomato, garlic powder, onion powder, garam masala, jalapeño, turmeric, ginger, and salt. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until tomato is soft. Using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the tomato into the bottom of the pan to break it up.
  • Once the pre-cooked spinach has completely cooled, squeeze out any excess water and run a knife through it to chop it up. (If using frozen chopped spinach, thaw it and squeeze all the water out of it).
  • Add the chopped spinach to the pan with the spiced tomato mixture, stir well to combine, and heat through. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add the heavy cream to the spinach mixture and stir well. Simmer over low heat until mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 163 kcal, Carbohydrate 6 g, Protein 3 g, Fat 14 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, Cholesterol 48 mg, Sodium 204 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving

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