Mmmmm saag, it smells so good in here!

It has been pretty cold here lately, and it inclines me to cook warm comforting foods for dinner.  This Sunday’s Indian Chicken Saag was no exception.  We are loyal to a nearby Indian restaurant called Bombay Palace.  The waiters are super friendly and attentive, the naan is crisp, and they serve a free cold rice pudding for dessert.  They also see us coming and know our order before we place it.  Chicken tikka masala for me, lamb saag for The Hubs.  I haven’t cooked a ton of Indian recipes, but I wondered if the saag was something I could tackle at home.  It is!!!  You too can do this!  It is warm, comforting, spicy, spinachy, curried goodness, all ladled over (you guessed it) the previously mastered Persian rice!

Saag is simply a spinach leaf based dish puréed with other ingredients and spices to make a sauce.  Use whatever protein you wish, chicken, lamb, mutton (a.k.a. goat, too gamey for me), or tofu.   Once the chicken is browned, this dish comes together pretty quickly, so don’t forget to start your rice sooner rather than later!

most of the ingredients…

First things first, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil on medium in a non-stick pan and brown the chicken pieces on both sides.  Unless you have a ginormous non-stick pan, you’ll probably have to do this in batches.

brown it up, yo!

Place the browned chicken in a bowl and set aside.  Reserve your chicken pan for later, as those brown bits will make for a more delicious saag.  Next you’ll have to tackle the spinach.  I know a pound of spinach seems like a TON of spinach, but I swear, it will cook down to like 3-4 cups worth of sauce. With the biggest lidded pan/pot you have available, put all the spinach into the pan and add 1/4 cup of water.  Bring the water to a boil and then remove from the heat.  Let cool and then transfer to a blender or use your immersion blender to purée, and set aside.  The spinach becomes the prettiest, most vibrant green!

green is good!

I like to get the other ingredients ready at this point.  Purée the tomato.  I used a large heirloom variety from the farmer’s market.  Slice the onion, zest the garlic and ginger and place into one bowl.  Place the cayenne pepper, coriander powder, turmeric, ground cardamom and cloves, and salt in another bowl.  Use a mortar and pestle (or a spice grinder if you are super fancy) to grind the cloves and cardamom together.  (You’ll have to open the cardamom pod and shake out the seeds – discard the pod.)  Garam masala goes into the last small bowl.  (My friend RG bought me these lovely nesting glass bowls many years ago and I use them every day!  Thanks RG!)

getting it ready now makes it easier for you later!

Heat another tablespoon of canola oil in a large pan and sauté the zested ginger, garlic, and onions until slightly browned.  MMMM, can you smell that???  Add tomatoes, salt, cayenne, coriander powder, turmeric, red pepper flakes, ground cloves, and ground cardamom seeds.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of water and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.  Add the chicken and milk, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  This would be a great time to start your rice process.  Lastly, add the spinach and garam masala.  Cook until the spinach starts sticking to the pan and you’ll notice it will get slightly brown around the edges.

see the brown crustiness on the edges? that’s a good thing!

Remove from heat and if you are so inclined, stir in a tablespoon of butter.  It will help make the sauce richer.  Cover until ready to serve.  The chicken will be tender, the sauce will thicken, and the flavors are bright, warm, and spicy.

Serve over rice with warmed naan bread (you can find it at your grocer in the bread section in little packets) and raita (yogurt mixed with diced cucumber, fresh chopped mint, and a pinch of ground cumin).  Don’t forget to garnish everything with chopped cilantro!  Yum.

this meal makes The Hubs’ belly VERY happy!

Chicken Saag