Spinach with Sliced Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak)

The feast of India continues in this post (catch up with the main dish here and here) with our vegetable dish. One of my favorite foods is spinach (which explains why one of my favorite Indian dishes of all-time is palak paneer [aka saag paneer], a creamy spinach dish with cubes of paneer cheese), so for my Indian dinner party, I wanted to make sure that I had a spinach dish included on the menu. For that role, I found this spinach, almond, and red bell pepper dish.

Spinach with Sliced Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak) (~4-6 servings)
2 T. sliced almonds
1 T. olive oil
1 T. Bengali 5 spices (panch-phoran)*
1 T. ginger paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1-3 fresh green chili peppers, minced
1/8 tsp. ground asafoetida
1 lb. fresh spinach, coasely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. garam masala

1. Dry roast the almonds in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until golden. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panch-phoran, ginger, garlic, and green chili peppers and cook about 30 seconds.

3. Add asafoetida and spinach, stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Uncover the pan, increase to high heat, and allow juices to boil off. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.

4. Using the same pan, roast red pepper for about 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Scatter over spinach, along with almonds and garam masala. Serve!

* Mixture of cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, and kalonji seeds - if you don't have all of these, substitute with what you do have on hand out of the five.