Aloo saag

Came home from the cinema at 10pm and had a craving for food, so I decided to cook this, which is a fairly quick potato and spinach curry.

• 300g spinach
• 4-5 potatoes
• 1 large bunch green coriander, chopped
• 3-4 fresh green chilies
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1 piece fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• salt

Finely chop onions, ginger and garlic cloves. Briefly boil the tomatoes, then skin them and cut them into small cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes.

Briefly boil the spinach, then put it, the coriander leaves and the chilies into a blender and whizz.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add chopped onions, ginger and garlic and fry until the onions are yellowish, but not brown. Add the tomato cubes and ground cumin. Fry for a few minutes, then add the spinach/coriander/chili purée, the salt and the potatoes. Stir well. Add a bit of water (no more than ½ cup), cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

It is vital that the curry is neither watery nor sticking to the bottom of the pan because there is not enough water in it. Remove the lid so that excess water can evaporate more easily, or add a bit of water if it looks like there's not enough water in it.

When the potatoes are soft to the bite and the consistency of the curry is just right, remove from the heat; add the garam masala, stir well, cover and let stand for about five minutes, then serve with chapaties or rice.