Description
Aloo Masala, or Potato Masala, is an Indian dish made with yellow potatoes, sautéed onions, and a tasty blend of spices and fresh chilies. Make it as a stuffing for masala dosa, serve it as a flavorful side dish, or even heat some up for a savory breakfast. Or if you want to mix things up, serve it as a unique and healthy potato salad at your next picnic or bbq.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound yellow potatoes, boiled until fork-tender and peeled
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (cold-pressed canola would be a neutral good choice, while ghee would add richness and a hint of buttery flavor)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Pinch Asafetida (optional)
- 1/2 tablespoon urad dal (optional)
- 4 or 5 curry leaves, or the zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 a hot chili (or more if you like), such as jalapeño or serrano, roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt
- 5 or 6 sprigs of cilantro, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Use your fingers to gently smash the potatoes, giving them a chunky texture. You can use a fork to do this if you like, but be sure to not smash them too much, or you’ll lose that lovely, chunky texture.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium until it begins to shimmer.
- Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil. Once they begin to pop, add the cumin seeds, asafetida, and urad dal. Stir constantly to keep everything moving, and cook until fragrant and starting to brown – just a minute or two.
- Stir in the curry leaves or lime zest and chopped chilies, and continue stirring for another 15 seconds.
- Add in the chopped onion, turmeric, and 2 big pinches of salt, and stir well. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent.
- Add the potatoes, along with 1/2 cup of water. Gently stir to coat the potatoes in the spices and onions, then cover with a lid and let it cook for a few minutes, or long enough to ensure the potatoes are heated through and the flavors have mingled.
- Remove from the heat, and gently stir in the chopped cilantro. If the texture is a little dry for your liking, stir in another splash or two of water.
- Give it a taste and add more salt or spices as desired. Transfer to a serving dish, or spoon into a dosa, and garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves.
Notes
Try to use smallish potatoes that are all about the same size, so they will finish boiling at about the same time.
Using your fingers to peel and smash the potatoes is kind of fun, but not if the potatoes are burning hot. If you want to speed the cooling time, run or submerge the boiled potatoes under cold water for a few minutes.
The finished texture of the dish is totally up to you. Go for a dryer texture if you will be stuffing into dosa or other flatbreads (so they don’t get soggy), or add more water for a creamier texture.
As with any spiced recipe, you may want to start by adding less than the recommended spices, then adding more later if you like. You can always add more at the end, but it’s hard as heck to take it out!
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: Aloo Masala, potato masala, spiced potatoes
