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.
More Easy Indian-Inspired Recipes
- Indian Chicken Burgers with Mango Salsa and Cucumber Raita
- Instant Pot Chickpea Curry
- Goat Cheese Naan
Favorite Tools
- Lodge Cast Iron Skillet - I use this 10.5-inch cast iron skillet nearly every day. To keep it seasoned, just be sure to dry it well and rub it with some oil before storing it (this will prevent rust and keep it seasoned).
- Global Chef’s Knife - You only really need one chef's knife to use for everything and this is my favorite. I've had it for 7+ years. It's incredibly lightweight. If you, like me, are under 5'4", the 6-inch is a perfect size (if you're taller, get the 8-inch).
Aloo Bhaji Recipe
Equipment
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (or any cooking oil)
- 2 tablespoon Ghee or Unsalted Butter
- 1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
- 2 Jalapeños, finely diced (if you want less spice, remove the seeds and membrane before dicing)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ cup finely diced White Onion
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder (not garlic salt)
- 2 tablespoon chopped Cilantro Leaves
- 2 teaspoon 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!)
Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Oh how I wish I had a dish of that right now. I just love spiced up food.
Jess
Me too - I love anything with spice!
angela@spinachtiger
I have access to curry leaves and lots of spices to make this dish. I'm not sure about coriander leaves though. Can I use ground coriander?
Jess
Hi Angela - that's great - I think curry leaves might be the more difficult thing to find for many people. So, this is a dish that will definitely benefit from fresh coriander (cilantro). However, I think the flavors are so nice, it would be worth trying it with ground coriander. You might try adding just 1/2 teaspoon and putting it into the pan with the dried turmeric. Hope that works!
Alice
Coriander leaves is the same as cilantro
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker
Such a great way to cook potatoes. I love the flavor profile here. Delicious Jess!
Claire @ Claire K Creations
Mmm I love anything potato so will definitely be trying this one. Love the photo of you with your potatoes Jess!
Jess
Haha - you know me, I never turn down the opportunity to be photographed with food. 😉
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
What a wonderful choice!
With all those spices it must smell heavenly!
Jess
Definitely Sawsan - it smells so fantastic while cooking! We're having it again for dinner tonight!
Monica
That looks absolutely scrumptious! I love the spices in these.
Amanda E
Huge fans of Indian food over here and this potato dish looks outstanding! Pinning this for the future - great SRC pick
Ashley
Wow, this sounds so good. So many spices! My husband would love it if I would make this for breakfast : ) Maybe one weekend - anything other than toast or granola/oatmeal never seems to work during the week! lol
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings
Yum- great SRC pick!
Kate | Food Babbles
These potatoes sound so wonderful. They must be so very flavorful! I'll definitely be giving these a try.
Isabelle @ Crumb
Oh yum! I have a bit of a sweet tooth, but I'm definitely a savoury kinda gal when breakfast is involved... so I'm totally drooling over that delicious-sounding Indian breakfast. (Especially since I can easily drink my body weight in mango lassi.)
I suspect there's a very good chance these potatoes will be showing up on my weekend breakfast menu very soon. Love that gorgeous yellow hue from the turmeric!
Jess
The mango lassi is a dangerous thing for me to have on offer every day on vacation, Isabelle! I could definitely have it every day. These potatoes make for a near-perfect savory breakfast, in my humble opinion. They'd be great with an over-easy egg too. 😉
Debra
This looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!
Holly @ Holly's Helpings
I'm going to have to find a place to get all these ingredients because that looks so delicious. My parents recently went to India and couldn't stop talking about the food. Made me so jealous!
Claudia
How much Turmeric do you use? I can't seem to find it in the recipe. Or maybe it is time for me to wear my glasses!!
Jess
Claudia - you are so right! Thank you for catching that - it should be corrected now.
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef
such a delicious potato dish! will definitely try this soon 🙂
Lesa @ Edesia's Notebook
Mmm, this is a gorgeous potato dish. I love the combination of spices!
chitchatchomp
What a delicious way to serve potatoes! 🙂
kristine
Did you roll your own rotis!? Impressive 🙂
Jess
I wish! Do I sense a little cooking lesson at the Shah's might be on the table!? 😉
Tracy | Peanut Butter and Onion
I LOVE INDIAN food. I can't wait to try this.... thanks for sharing
Tara
Looks so good! Great pick!
Monet
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!
Jaime
Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Jyotisharma
Nice