Aloo Palak (Potatoes with Spinach)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked potatoes (cubes about 1/4 inch)
4-5 oz packaged spinach
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onions (red taste better)
1/8 tsp ginger paste
1/4 tsp garlic paste (or per taste)
2-3 tbspn oil (olive or vegetable)
pinch ajwain seeds
pinch cumin seeds
2 tbspn Chicken fry Masala (spice mix doesn't contain meat)
1/2 tsp garam masala
to taste salt



Method:

1. Boil potatoes as you like. Peel and cut into rough 1/4 inch cubes. Set aside.
2. Place onions, ginger and garlic paste in a blender, puree.
3. Boil water, steam spinach until wilted. Drain, puree, and set aside.
4. In a large pan or wok, heat 2 tbspn oil. Add ajwain and cumin seeds.
5. When seeds sizzle or begin to emanate a nice aroma, add the onion puree.
6. Fry the onion puree until the onion smell comes. Add the potatoes.
7. Add the Chicken fry masala and garam masala.
8. Stir fry and until the potatoes turn color from chicken fry masala (a nice red) and also brown from stir frying.
9. Add the pureed spinach. Stir, taste for and add salt per your taste.
10. Turn heat to low and continue heating until the spinach begins to absorb some of the spice taste.

Eat with roti, chappati, or rice. 4-6 servings.

Chole Aloo (Chickpeas with Potatoes)

I created this dish with the desire to do something with one cup of leftover chole masala. The secret to this recipe is that the leftover chole should be a gravy based chole and not one with visable pieces of onion and tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1 cup leftover chole masala
2 tbspn olive oil
2 cups diced potatoes
2 tsp chenna masala spice mix
1 cup water
salt to taste
pinch asafeteda


Method:

1. Boil the potato with skin on it. After it is boiled, slightly cooled and peeled (I like to slightly cool the potato after it's boiled and peel with fingers, peel comes off easily and no potato peeler needs to be washed!), dice into 1/3 inch cubes.
2. Heat a large wok like pan and keep the olive oil in it. When it heats, add the diced potato. Turn the heat down to one-quarter heat.
3. Lightly fry for a few minutes, add the left over chole mix well.
4. Add the water, chole masala spice mix and asafeteda. Mix well and cover.
5. Stir every few minutes. The mixture will become like a gravy or thick stew. This is good. It should not burn to the bottom of the pan if you keep mixing it and making sure the heat is low.
6. After about 25 minutes, the spices should all combine well, evening out between the chole and potatoes.
7. Taste for and add salt as you like.
8. Eat with rotis, chapati or rice as per your liking.

4-5 servings.