Aloo Bhaji
Published Oct 26, 2020•Updated May 06, 2025
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Aloo Bhaji, Indian-spiced potatoes, are seasoned with mustard seeds, turmeric, and garlic. Serve them with your favorite Indian dishes or top them with a fried egg for a simple vegetarian meal.
What (you might be wondering) are these bright yellow potatoes? This, friends, is Aloo Bhaji – Indian-spiced potatoes. They are super flavorful (not actually spicy unless you want them to be), tender and golden, and so easy to make. Cilantro, lime juice, and a bit of yogurt add flavor to the finished dish.
Years ago, Frank and I traveled to India. It was, without a doubt, the trip of a lifetime. (Though actually….hopefully not, since I’d like to go again.) We ate a ton of amazing food, but it was the humble first meal of the trip that I remember most vividly. That’s usually the case, isn’t it? The meal was breakfast of aloo bhaji served with puffy, tender naan. It was a perfect breakfast – cozy and filling and packed with flavor.
I first published my recipe for Aloo Bhaji shortly after that trip in 2013, but these travel-limited pandemic times have me thinking dreamily of trips past. I’m watching Emily in Paris and dreaming of Paris, and making Aloo Bhaji and dreaming of India.
We will all travel again, but until we can…there will be food.
Ingredients for Aloo Bhaji
- Vegetable Oil – Use any high-heat cooking oil.
- Ghee – Ghee is clarified butter used in Indian cooking, but unsalted butter will work just fine in this recipe if it’s all you have.
- Potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes will hold their shape a bit better while cooking, but Russet potatoes work great in this method as well. Russet potatoes just break down a bit and will have less well-defined edges / corners than Yukon gold.
- White Onion – These caramelize lightly while the potatoes cook and add flavor.
- Jalapeños – Use the whole pepper, or remove the seeds and membrane before chopping if you want to reduce the spice. You can skip this if you don’t want any spice at all.
- Mustard Seeds – Don’t skip these little seeds – they add great flavor and texture.
- Garlic Powder, Dried Turmeric, Salt – Use these to add flavor. Be sure to use garlic powder, not garlic salt.
- Cilantro, Lime Juice – These add flavor and color to the finished dish.
- Yogurt – Totally optional, but use some plain yogurt for creaminess on the finished dish if you’d like.
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Aloo Bhaji Recipe
Equipment
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (or any cooking oil)
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee or Unsalted Butter
- 1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
- 2 Jalapeños, finely diced (if you want less spice, remove the seeds and membrane before dicing)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 cup finely diced White Onion
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried Turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder (not garlic salt)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped Cilantro Leaves
- 2 teaspoons Lime Juice
- Plain Yogurt, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (see note) over low-medium heat. (Note: on my electric range which heats from 1-10, I set the heat at 4 for these potatoes.)
- Add oil and ghee / butter and stir gently until melted.
- Add potatoes in a single layer and cover with a lid.
- Cook potatoes, covered, without stirring, for 10 minutes (resist the urge to lift the lid and check on them – keeping the lid closed helps them to steam and get started cooking).
- Remove the lid and use a spatula to gently flip the potatoes. Over the top of the potatoes scatter jalapeños, mustard seeds, and onion. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes more.
- Remove the lid and season potatoes with salt, dried turmeric, and garlic powder.
- Continue cooking potatoes, flipping them occasionally with a spatula, until potatoes are very tender, 5 to 10 minutes more (depending on the size of the potato cubes).
- Remove potatoes from heat and stir in cilantro and lime juice. Taste and season with some more salt, if needed.
- Serve immediately. (Great with a spoonful of plain yogurt on top!)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nice
Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
What a gorgeous dish! Such a vibrant hue! And I’m sure the flavors are wonderful. I love tumeric, and I’m always trying to find more recipes that feature the spice. Thank you for sharing!