Rainbow Chard Saag Aloo
This vegetarian curry from Fresh India is the perfect midweek meal as it can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Packed with vegetables, it's an excellent way to get more nutrients into your diet.
From the book
Fresh India: 130 Quick, Easy and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
The go-to guide for vegetarian Indian cooking
130 stunning recipes with a fresh and light feel
Beautiful puddings with Indian-inspired flavours
Introduction
I’ll never forget my mum’s head-turning squeal when she saw a bag of Desiree potatoes marked ‘grown in Lincolnshire’ in the aisle of a London supermarket. She’s evangelical about their butteriness, and proud of the fact they’re grown near our family home, so this dish, which uses a classic Gujarati spicing of cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli, appears regularly on the Sodha family table.
Ingredients
| 400g | rainbow or Swiss chard |
| 3 tbsp | rapeseed oil |
| 1 tsp | black mustard seeds |
| 2 | medium brown onions, sliced |
| 600g | Desiree potatoes |
| 3 cm | ginger, peeled and grated |
| 4 | cloves of garlic, crushed |
| 400g | ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges |
| 1 1/2 tsp | chilli powder |
| 1/2 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1/2 tsp | ground coriander |
| 1 1/4 tsp | salt |
Method
1. To prepare the chard, cut the stems from the leaves. Cut the stems into 4cm pieces and slice the leaves into 4cm strips.
2. Put the oil into a large lidded frying pan and, when hot, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onions and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until soft and golden brown. In the meantime, peel the potatoes and cut into 2cm cubes. When the onions are ready, add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the potatoes and 200ml of water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and the chard stalks, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the chard stalks are soft. Add the chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt and stir gently. Finally, add the chard leaves, coat with the mixture and pop the lid back on for a final 2 to 3 minutes, until the leaves have wilted.
4. Serve with hot chapattis or rice, yoghurt and a little pickle.
