I have always liked this classic Indian-style dish but had never actually tried making it myself before. A bit of a cutback of the spinach and leaf celery on the allotment provided the perfect opportunity to give my own “plot to pot” version a go using a few extra ingredients and spices that happened to already be sitting in the cupboard — and the results were extremely satisfying.
While tidying the beds, a generous mix of perpetual spinach and broad-leaf “true” spinach was gathered along with a handful of fresh leaf celery. The tougher stems and coarse roots were stripped away before everything was thoroughly washed, drained, and roughly chopped — one of those satisfying kitchen moments where the harvest basket slowly turns into dinner.
🥘 Approximate Ingredients
🌿 Greens & Vegetables
- 4–5 packed cups mixed spinach leaves
(roughly half perpetual spinach and half broad-leaf spinach) - 1 generous handful leaf celery
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 medium leek, sliced thinly
- 1 small clove elephant garlic (or 2 normal garlic cloves)
- 1 red chilli (fresh or frozen)
🧂 Spices
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp fenugreek
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
(Adjust chilli and black pepper depending on how much heat you like.)
🥥 Other Ingredients
- ½ tin coconut milk (roughly 200 ml)
- 1–2 tbsp cooking oil
- pinch of salt to taste
🍞 To Serve
- Warm coriander naan bread
- or rice / flatbreads / poppadoms
👨🍳 Method
A chopped shallot, tender leek, leaf celery, one crushed clove of elephant garlic, and a home-grown frozen red chilli were gently sautéed in oil until fragrant. Into this went the cumin, black pepper, fenugreek, paprika, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice, creating that unmistakable earthy aroma that fills the kitchen long before the dish is ready.
Handful after handful of fresh greens were added to the pan and allowed to wilt slowly down into the spices before half a tin of coconut milk was stirred through. The mixture was then cooked gently until it thickened into a smooth, rich, almost dip-like saag packed with flavour and colour.
Served with warm coriander naan bread, it became one of those meals that feels both nourishing and indulgent at the same time.
🥬 Why Mixed Greens Work So Well
Using both perpetual spinach and true spinach gives the dish a lovely balance. The perpetual spinach brings body and structure while the softer broad-leaf spinach melts down into silky richness.
Leaf celery quietly steals the show too, adding an aromatic savoury depth that lifts the entire dish without overpowering it.
🌶️ Serving Suggestions
This saag-style mix works beautifully:
- with naan breads or flatbreads
- spooned beside curries or dhal
- as a side dish
- stirred into rice
- or chilled slightly and served as a spicy dip
It also reheats brilliantly the next day when the flavours have had even more time to develop.
🌿 From Plot to Pot Tip
When thinning or cutting back allotment greens, don’t think of it as “waste.” Tender leaves from spinach, beetroot, chard, celery leaf, kale, and even young brassica tops can become the foundation of soups, curries, pestos, and stir fries.
Sometimes the best allotment meals begin with simple maintenance jobs.
💬 Have You Made Something Similar?
Do you have a favourite allotment curry, saag, soup, or improvised “plot to pot” recipe using whatever happened to be ready on the day?
Feel free to share your own ideas, spice combinations, substitutions, or happy accidents in the comments — especially unusual ways of using leafy greens or gluts from the allotment. One gardener’s leftovers are often another gardener’s inspiration.