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stirring aloo bahji in a cast iron skillet
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3.63 from 8 votes

Aloo Bhaji Recipe

Aloo Bhaji, fragrant Indian-spiced potatoes are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Serve them with your favorite Indian dishes or top them with a fried egg for a simple vegetarian meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: breakfast side dish, easy side dish, easy vegetable side, Indian recipe, potatoes, simple side, vegetarian
Servings: 4
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $3.00

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

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.
Skillet - Cast iron pans works best for fried potatoes because they allow the potatoes to crisp up without sticking. If you are concerned about the potatoes sticking, you can use a nonstick pan which also works well though the potatoes won’t get quite as crisp. No matter what type of pan you use, it should be one that has a lid and is large enough to hold all of the potatoes in a single layer.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 448mg | Potassium: 763mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 264IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg