Skip to main content

Aloo Sfenaj

A Persian dish.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds spinach
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup black-eyed peas or red beans, soaked for 1 hour, or 1 pound canned
Salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Wash the spinach and drain. Remove the stems only if they are tough.

    Step 2

    Fry the onion in the oil in a large pan until golden. Stir in the turmeric and cinnamon and add the prunes and drained peas or beans. Cover with water, and cook about 1/2 hour, or until the peas or beans are soft.

    Step 3

    Pack the spinach in the pan, cover with a lid, and cook until it crumples to a soft mass. Add salt and pepper, stir, and mix well, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Like spicy carrot rigatoni and weeknight-fancy ravioli with peas.
Like lemony baked salmon and strawberry shortcake roll.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Crispy, Parmesan-crusted cutlets make this spring dish sing.
A feel-good dinner designed to cram a ton of veg in each serving.