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Aloo chaat

This is a very simple recipe of aloo chaat or potato chaat. Aloo chaat is very popular among chaat and street food lovers.

Recipe of aloo chaat

3-4 aloo (potatoes)

1 tsp chaat masala

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

Green coriander chutney- to taste

Sweet tamarind chutney- to taste

Salt to taste

1. Pressure cook aloo for 1 whistle. Turn the heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure drop down before opening the lid of the cooker.

2. Peel the aloo and dice them into 3/4 inch cubes.

3. Heat oil in a non-stick tava (griddle) and fry potatoes till brown from all sides. Take out in a bowl.

4. Add salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and chaat masala. Pour coriander chutney and tamarind chutney over the aloo chaat and enjoy!

Aloo bonda

Aloo bonda is a famous Indian deep fried savory snack. It’s crispy on outside and soft inside. Aloo bonda or potato bonda is liked by adults and kids alike. In South India, this snack is called aloo bonda and in Mumbai, it is known as batata vada.

Recipe of aloo bonda

4 (potatoes) aloo - boiled, peeled and mashed

1 1/2 cups besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1 tbsp oil + for deep frying

2 onions- chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Coriander leaves- chopped

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add green chillies, curry leaves and onion. Fry till onion turns translucent.

2. Add aloo, turmeric powder and salt.

3. Cook for 2 minutes and add coriander leaves. Mix and turn off the heat. Remove in a bowl and let it cool.

4. Make lemon sized balls out of the potato mixture.

5. Now for the batter, mix besan, red chilli powder and salt. Add water, mixing with other hand to get smooth, lump free batter of dropping consistency.

6. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok. Dip the aloo balls in the batter and deep fry in the oil. Fry till golden brown.

7. Drain on an absorbent paper and serve alu bonda hot with tomato ketchup or some chutney.

Simple potato fry

I make this simple potato fry often and everyone in my family relishes them. It’s quite easy to make and you can use amchoor (dried mango powder) if anardana powder is not available. Potato fry is made in many different ways and this is my version of the delicious potato dish.

Recipe of simple potato fry

3 medium potatoes- boiled, peeled

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

3/4 tsp anardana powder (dried pomegranate powder)

1 tbsp oil

1. Break the potatoes unevenly by hands or you can cube them.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add potato pieces. Add all the spices and salt. Mix well.

3. On a medium heat, stir fry the potatoes. Keep removing the scrapings on the walls of the pan. Fry till potatoes turn crisp. Take out from the pan and serve potato fry hot.

Spicy baby potatoes

I love baby potatoes. They are so beautiful to look at. In hindi, they are called charra aloo. Baby potatoes are not just used for ‘dum aloo’, there are many ways to cook them. This is a very very simple and easy recipe and can be made quickly. Tastes absolutely delicious.

Recipe of spicy baby potatoes

About 15 baby potatoes (charra aloo) - washed and scrubbed thoroughly under running water

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 bay leaves (tej patta)                                              

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Baby potatoes (charra aloo)

1. I used plastic scrubber to remove any dirt from baby potatoes as I do not peel them.

2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds and bay leaves. When cumin seeds turn darker, add hing.

3. Add baby potatoes, salt and all the spices except amchoor. Mix well. Add 2 tablespoon water and close the lid of the cooker.

4. Let 4-5 whistles come. Let the pressure drop down naturally before opening the lid. Burn any excess water as it is a dry dish.

5. Add amchoor and mix. Take out in a serving bowl and serve hot spicy baby potatoes with roti or paratha.

Kamal kakdi curry

Kamal kakdi is known by various names like bhein, kamal kakri and lotus stems. It’s a popular dish among Punjabis and Sindhis. Some people prepare pickle, kofte and chips of kamal kakdi but here I am sharing the recipe of it’s curry with aloo.

Recipe of kamal kakdi (bhein) aur aloo ki sabzi

2 medium kamal kakdi (bhein/ lotus stems)

2 medium potatoes (aloo) - peeled and cubed

2 onions

3 tomatoes- pureed

1 inch piece ginger

3-4 cloves garlic (optional)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

kamal kakdi aur aloo ki curry

1. Peel, wash and chop kamal kakdi into 1/2 inch pieces. Grind onions, garlic and ginger into a paste.

2. Place kamal kakri along with water and salt in a pressure cooker and cook to 2 whistles. Drain the excess water.

3. In the same pressure cooker, heat oil. Add cumin seeds and let them change color. Add onion paste and sauté till light brown.

4. Add all the spices and salt and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and fry till oil begins to separate from the masala.

5. Add kamal kakdi and potatoes. Add 2 cups of water and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook to 4 whistles. Serve hot kamal kakdi aur aloo ki subzi garnished with coriander leaves with roti or paratha.

dhania aloo

Dhania aloo is a simple yet flavorful dish. It is full of flavor and aroma from fresh corinder leaves or dhaniya. If you keep boiled potatoes in your fridge, dhania aloo can be ready in a short time.

Recipe of dhania aloo

3-4 medium aloo (potatoes) - boiled, peeled and unevenly broken by hands

1 bunch fresh dhania (dhaniya/ coriander leaves/ cilantro) - chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

3 green chillies- chopped

1 onion- chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok or a pan. Add cumin seeds and when they change color, add green chillies. Sauté for a minute.

2. Add onion and fry till light brown.

3. Add aloo, turmeric powder, salt and water. Add coriander leaves and cook covered on a low heat for 10 minutes. Dhania aloo or aloo dhania is ready to be eaten with roti or puri.

Aloo matar ki sabzi

This is my (actually my husband’s) simplest recipe of aloo matar which works out well for me. Earlier also I blogged about aloo matar ki sabzi but this one is easier. Even a beginner can try this curry. Since this sabzi contains no onion garlic, it can be eaten during fasts.

Recipe of aloo matar ki sabzi

2 medium aloo (potatoes) - boiled, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup matar (green peas) - fresh or frozen

2 tomatoes- diced

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Few coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1. Heat oil in a pan or kadhai/ wok. Add cumin seeds and when they crackle, add hing.

2. Add aloo and matar. Add all the spices and salt and mix. Add 1 cup water.

3. Add diced tomatoes and turn the heat to medium. Cook covered till matar turn tender.

4. Cook till you get the desired gravy consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve aloo matar hot as a side.

masala aloo

This is a very tasty recipe of masala aloo. While adding salt to aloo, please remember that chaat masala and masalas like sambar and pav bhaaji also contain some salt. If you don’t have these masalas, you can also add any other masala of your choice. Feel free and experiment with ingredients. This is the fun of cooking guys!

Recipe of masala aloo

4 medium (aloo) potatoes- boiled, peeled and cubed

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp chaat masala

A big pinch of sambar powder

A big pinch of pav bhaji masala

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

boiled aloo mixed with spices

1. Mix salt and all the spice powders with aloo.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.

3. When they crackle, add spiced aloo.

4. Cook till aloo gets a roasted appearance, stirring occasionally.

5. Turn off heat and add lemon juice and mix gently. Serve hot masala aloo with some Indian bread or on their own.

aloo palak (spinach potato dry curry)

Today as I was wondering what to cook, I opened the fridge. I saw that I had very few vegetables left and a bunch of palak was staring at my face. The palak was still in a good shape so I decided to cook aloo palak with phulkas. I used a very simple recipe but believe me aloo palak turned out very tasty.

Recipe of aloo palak

1 bunch palak (spinach) -stems removed and chopped

2 medium (aloo)  potatoes- peeled and cubed

2 tomatoes

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp oil or ghee (clarified butter)

Palak

1. Grind tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger together to form a smooth paste.

2. Heat oil or ghee in a kadhai (wok). Add cumin seeds and when they turn dark, add onion-tomato paste.

3. Add all the spices and salt. Cook till oil begins to separate from the masala.

4. Add spinach and potatoes. Mix well and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook covered, stirring occasionally.

5. Cook till potatoes turn tender. Then uncover and increase the heat so that all moisture evaporates, stirring in between.

6. When curry turns dry, turn off heat. Serve aloo palak hot with rotis.

Potato, apple and celery salad

This cool salad of potato, apple and celery is very refreshing during these days. It tastes best when chilled.

Recipe of potato, apple and celery salad

7-8 baby potatoes - peeled

2 red apples

2-3 celery (shalari, ajmud) stalks

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt to taste

Black pepper (coarsely crushed) - to taste

1. Place 4 cups of water in a pan with 1 1/2 tsp salt and baby potatoes. Bring it to a boil. Lower heat and cook covered till potatoes turn fork tender. Strain.

2. Core apples and cut into 1/2 inch cubes without peeling. Chop the celery stems.

3. Place potatoes, apples and celery stems in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 tbsp oil and lemon juice.

4. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

5. Just before serving, add the mayonnaise and 1/2 tbsp oil. Gently mix and serve chilled.

Note- Cut apples just before mixing and immediately add lemon juice and oil to prevent discoloration of apples.

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