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Spinach Garlic Peanut - Instant Pot Peanut Lehsuni Saag

A wonderful, easy, quick, green side dish, coated in a smooth, garlic-peanut infused sauce, this Spinach Garlic Peanut  - Instant Pot Peanut Lehsuni Saag is the perfect easy side dish to pair with your next special meal!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 3
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian Food
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound baby spinach, (10 to 11 cups)  (454 grams)
  • 4 tbsp oil of choice
  • 1/2 tsp asafoetida    (heeng)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds  (jeera)
  • 4 serrano peppers, small (hari mirch), (2 and 1/4 tsp chopped)
  • 6 garlic cloves (1/2 tbsp minced)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander    (dhaniya powder)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup peanuts, unsalted and skinless (coarsely ground)

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Method
 

Prep
  1. Rinse the baby spinach well in cold water. There is no need to chop it. We will blend it later. Additionally, you can use regular spinach instead of baby spinach. If you don’t have an immersion blender then chop the spinach finely, while using regular or baby spinach.
  2. Dry roast the peanuts. To dry roast the peanuts I placed them in a skillet and roasted them on low-medium heat for about 4 minutes. Keep stirring them regularly. Make sure that they don’t burn or else they will be bitter. Peanuts need to be golden brown.
  3. Transfer them in a bowl and let them cool. Once cool, using a spice grinder coarsely grind them for a few seconds. They need to have texture so make sure not to grind the peanuts super fine. Additionally you can also use a mortar and pestle if you don’t have a spice grinder.
  4. Rinse and finely chop the garlic and serrano peppers. Further, using a mortar and pestle grind the garlic and serrano peppers finely.
Cook
  1. Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal. Add in oil to the pot. Furthermore, add in asafoetida.
  2. Moreover in 30 seconds, add in cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then in about 30 seconds add in the ground serrano peppers and garlic and let them sauté for a minute. Keep stirring intermittently.
  3. Next, add in spinach and stir well. Let the spinach sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, keep stirring intermittently. Moreover, the spinach should shrivel. Additionally, keep stirring intermittently to prevent the spinach from sticking to the pot. Once the spinach shrivels, add in salt, and ground coriander and stir well and let it sauté for 30 seconds.
  4. Next add in water. Further using an immersion blender coarsely blend the spinach for a few seconds. Also, don’t blend it super fine. It needs to have some texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender  you can use a potato masher or the back of a ladle.
  5. Press cancel. And, secure the lid on the pot and select manual/high pressure for 2 minutes. When done quick release the pressure. 
  6. Open the lid, select sauté, add in the ground peanuts and stir well. Let it sauté for a minute or two. Keep stirring every 30 seconds. This dish is not supposed to be very soupy.
  7. Finally, transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with naan, roti or as a side dish with rice.

Notes

  • On a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of spice levels I would place this dish at 3.5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. You can reduce or eliminate the serrano peppers as per your spice tolerance.
  • I have used fresh baby spinach. You can use regular spinach too. However, using baby spinach eliminates the step of chopping the spinach leaves. I have just thrown in spinach in the IP and blended it later. If you are using regular spinach, I recommend chopping the leaves.
  • If you don't have an immersion blender then chop the baby spinach as well. You can then use a potato masher or spoon to crush them.
  • Use fresh garlic and not garlic paste.
  • Make sure that the peanuts don’t burn or else they will be bitter. Peanuts need to be golden brown.