BRAISED HERBS WITH POTATOES

 

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This Indian Recipe Serves 2-3

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Braised Herbs With Potatoes has been a favorite since our ancestors time. I remember this dish being my grans absolute go to meal any time of day & it is because of her that I love herbs so much. Not many people would choose this dish but herbs have a lot of nutrients & you will grow to enjoy it.

This dish can be prepared with various herbs. I have used Spinach. Spinach is a high yielding assortment with dark green crinkled leaves & expansive white stems. The stems are also edible.

You may also use Silverbeet or Chard herbs. Chard is a leafy green vegetable regularly utilized as a part of Mediterranean cooking. In the Flavescens-Group-cultivars, the leaf stalks are expansive & are frequently prepared separately from the leaf blade. The leaf blade can be green or reddish in shading; the leaf stalks likewise differ in shading, generally white, yellow, or red.

Braised Herbs With Potatoes Ingredients:

• ½ onion
• ½ tomato
• 3 dried chilies
• 1 potato
• ¼ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• salt to taste
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 bunch or 200 grams herbs (spinach, chard, watercress, moringa, silverbeet)

Method:

1. For this recipe, I have used Spinach herbs.
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3. They can be purchased already destalked or a cheaper option is to get them in bunches with the stalks still attached.
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5. Notice the large dark green leaves & broad white stems on the bunched ones.
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7. Thoroughly rinse the Spinach herbs & then begin chopping it up into small pieces. With this herb you may chop the stem as well as the stems of Silverbeets & Spinach are edible. Once the herbs are chopped, place in a bowl.
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9. Peel & chop the onion.
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11. Rinse & chop the tomato.
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13. Peel the garlic. This may be chopped into smaller pieces or pressed with a garlic press if preferred.
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15. Remove the stems off the dried chilies & break them into halves.
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17. Peel & cut the potatoes into small cubes & place into a bowl.
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19. Cover the potatoes with water to prevent oxidization.
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21. To a pot on medium heat, add in the vegetable oil, chopped onion, cumin (jeera) seeds, garlic cloves, dried chilies & curry leaves.
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23. Mix & allow to sauté until the onions are translucent.
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25. Thereafter, add in the chopped tomato.
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27. Mix well.
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29. Cover with a lid & allow the tomatoes to cook for 3 minutes.
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31. When tomatoes are cooked, add in as much of the herbs that can fit into the pot.
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33. Give it a mix. Notice how the herbs begin to wilt.
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35. Once the herbs have shrunk, add more of it to the pot.
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37. Pour in a little water & mix. It took me three add-ons of the herbs to the pot, but this may differ depending on the size of the pot that is used. Do not add a lot of water as this dish may end up too watery. Add water in moderation.
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39. Cover with a lid & allow the herbs to cook for ±5 minutes or until the stems are semi soft (if using the stalks).
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41. After cooking the herbs for ±5 minutes, notice how wilted they become.
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43. Next, add in the cubed potatoes, discarding of the water it had been resting it. Add salt to taste.
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45. Mix well.
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47. Cover with a lid & allow the potatoes to cook until soft (±15 minutes).
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49. When the potatoes are soft, give it a stir & make sure that the excess water has evaporated. If there is still a lot of water, then allow to simmer on medium heat until the water has diminished.
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51. Once the water has evaporated, turn off the heat & plate.
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53. Serve this Braised Herbs With Potatoes whilst hot.
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55. This dish goes well with roti, bread, puri or rice. I personally prefer it with soft white bread.
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57. Store this Braised Herbs With Potatoes in the refrigerator for up to a week. Simply reheat in the microwave.
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