Saag Shrimp
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ to ½teaspoon ground cayenne
- ¼teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼teaspoon onion powder
- 1pound peeled, deveined large shrimp, tails off
- Salt
- 3tablespoons ghee or neutral oil, such as grapeseed or safflower
- 1teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1large yellow onion, minced
- 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and grated
- 3garlic cloves, grated
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 1medium fresh tomato, chopped
- ½cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
- 1pound fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped using a sharp knife or by pulsing in a food processor
- ½cup heavy cream or unsweetened coconut cream
- Steamed rice, naan, green chile chutney, tamarind chutney and fresh kachumbari, or a combination, for serving
For the Spice Blend
For the Shrimp
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
318 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 814 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the spice blend: In a small bowl, combine turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Step 2
Toss the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the spice blend and a light sprinkle of salt. Set aside.
- Step 3
Heat a large shallow skillet over medium-high. Add the ghee and cumin seeds, and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion, cook until softened and translucent, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the remaining spice blend, stir and toast until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the ginger, garlic and tomato paste. Stir and cook until the tomato paste deepens in color, about 1 minute. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the chopped tomato for garnish. Add the remaining chopped tomato, about half of the chopped cilantro and ½ cup water. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook the sauce, stirring until it thickens and reduces (about three-fourths of the original volume), 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.
- Step 5
Add the shrimp to the skillet all at once and stir to coat with the sauce. Add the spinach in two batches, wilting the first batch before adding the second, and season with salt. Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until spinach is softened, shrimp is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and adjust the seasoning to taste with more salt, if necessary.
- Step 6
Remove from heat and garnish with the reserved chopped tomatoes and the cilantro. Serve over steamed rice and warm, pillowy naan. Top the saag with green chile chutney, tamarind chutney or fresh kachumbari for a lovely pop of acid and heat.
Private Notes
Comments
Just leave it out. There's no need to find a substitute. I'm married to a cilantro hater and long ago learned to just add cilantro as a garnish on my plate. I urge anyone considering a long-term relationship to first ascertain, in addition to their credit score, whether the potential partner has an aversion to cilantro and ginger. ; )
@Gail, tender cubes of potato work nicely if you don't want to use shrimp or paneer. My local Indian restaurant uses potato in their vegan dishes. I've used firm tofu at home and it works too.
Don't use parsley for Indian/subcontinent dishes - not the right flavour profile. Try finely sliced: mint or the green parts of green onions or holy basil.
Fantastic dish. Appreciate the helpful suggestions from commenters. I used 1.5 lb spinach which I prepped the day before (steamed briefly to wilt, then roughly chopped, removing some of the liquid in the process, which cut down on the cooking time for the sauce. 12 inch iron skillet, ghee, coconut cream, doubled all the spices. Also added shrimp to one side of hot skillet once sauce was nearly done, cooked them 2 minutes, added coconut cream, then stirred it all together about 3-4 more minutes. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, the whole dish was a hit. Definitely making again!
I tried this yesterday. There was one 8 ounce bag of spinach at the market so that’s what I used and I use kefir instead of heavy cream. Coriander seeds instead of cumin seeds. I felt there were relatively few ingredients and it was quite quick to cook. Basically, I got the ingredients out, put on the rice and even with all the chopping it was done three minutes before the rice was. I don’t know how authentic this is but it’s pretty good. I’ll make it again.
Oh yes. I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of a whole tomato and figured I didn’t need more water. Microwaved and drained the spinach and added the shrimp last, per advice in the comments.
Made this for dinner. I followed the recipe & thought the added 1/2 Cup of water diluted the sauce. I would have upped the tomato paste to 2 Tbsps. I added the shrimp after I wilted the spinach. I did sub light cream for the heavy cream. Served with basmati rice.