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Recipes

Jeera Aloo

Potatoes tossed with toasted cumin, ginger, chilli, and a little amchur.

North India
  • potato
  • cumin
  • sabzi
  • weeknight

Jeera aloo is a dry North Indian potato sabzi tossed with cumin, ginger, chilli, and a few ground spices. It sits beside dal and roti or rice, giving the plate substance without another gravy.

Keep the potatoes firm

Boil the potatoes only until a small knife slides through with slight resistance. They finish heating in the pan. If they split in the water or crumble when cut, they will turn pasty once tossed with the spices. Let them cool before cubing so the edges hold.

Toast the cumin, then move

Cumin should crackle, darken one shade, and smell nutty before the ginger goes in. Black seeds taste bitter. Once the ground spices hit the pan, add the potatoes right away so the powders coat them instead of scorching in the fat.

Further reading

Prep
15 min
Cook
30–40 min
Serves
4 as a side

Ingredients

  • 500–600 g / about 1–1⅓ lbyellow or other waxy potatoes — 3–4 medium, scrubbed; russets break more easily
  • 2 tbspghee or neutral oil
  • 1½ tspcumin seeds
  • 2 tspfresh ginger — finely chopped or grated
  • 1green chilli — finely chopped; use half or omit for less heat
  • small pinchasafoetida (hing) — optional
  • ¼ tspground turmeric
  • ½ tspKashmiri chilli powder — or mild paprika for less heat
  • 1 tspground coriander
  • ½–¾ tspfine sea salt — for the skillet; also salt the potato water; adjust to taste
  • 1–2 tbspwater — only if the spices or potatoes catch
  • ½ tspamchur — or 1–2 tsp lemon juice, to taste
  • ¼ cupfresh cilantro — roughly chopped

Method

  1. Put the whole potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Salt the water with about 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook until a small knife slides into the center with slight resistance, 20–30 minutes depending on size. Drain and let cool until they no longer steam, 10–15 minutes. Peel if you like, then cut into 1-inch pieces.
  2. Heat the ghee or oil in a wide skillet over medium. Add the cumin seeds. Stir until they crackle, darken one shade, and smell nutty, 30–60 seconds. Do not let them turn black.
  3. Add the ginger, green chilli, and hing if using. Stir about 30 seconds, just until the ginger loses its raw edge. Do not brown the ginger. Lower the heat. Add turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, and ground coriander, then immediately add the potatoes and ½ teaspoon salt.
  4. Toss gently until every piece is coated. Spread the potatoes in one layer and cook over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, turning once or twice, until hot through and lightly golden at some edges. If the spices catch, add a splash of water and scrape the pan.
  5. Turn off the heat. Add amchur or lemon juice and the cilantro. Toss, taste, and adjust salt and sourness. Serve hot with dal and roti or rice.

Notes

  • Cooled potatoes cut more cleanly and hold their shape better in the skillet. They can be boiled a day ahead and refrigerated whole.
  • For a simpler version, skip the ground coriander and chilli powder. Keep the cumin, ginger, salt, and sour finish.
  • If the potato water was well salted, start with the lower end of the skillet salt and add more after tasting.