Jeera aloo

Jeera aloo recipe – Quick, simple, delicious potatoes sauteed in mild spices. Jeera refers to cumin & aloo to potatoes. So Jeera aloo translate to potatoes sauteed with cumin. Making jeera aloo is one of the easiest that even a beginner can try. It is a side dish that can be served with Rice Dal, roti, phulka or Poori.

I often make Jeera aloo for the lunch box as there is no preparation work involved. Like most other kids, mine too love potatoes. They enjoy this just with any thing, rice or roti as a side.

Sometimes I also use it as a filling in the Kathi rolls and sandwiches along with some julienned veggies.  This is a dry dish, so it is good to serve along with a gravy, dal or atleast a raita.

I resort to this jeera aloo when I have surprise guests home for a meal. Some basmati rice, dal, this jeera aloo, papads & vegetable salad is one of the best combos.

In Indian cuisine, apart from this Jeera aloo there are so many Aloo recipes that are popular like this hara bhara kabab, veg cutlet, aloo tikki , aloo gobi and this simple Potato curry.

This jeera aloo is also served in most Indian restaurants in an North Indian thali (meal). There are a few different ways it is made. Some people make it just by sauteing the aloo with jeera, green chilies & ginger.

But I make it with more spices & spice powders. So this recipe will give you a very aromatic, mildly spicy & delicious Jeera aloo that you can even enjoy with just some plain rice & yogurt.

Tips to make Jeera aloo

• Jeera aloo can be made made in 2 ways. First method is to boil the potatoes and then saute them with spices. The second method is to saute the aloo first with cumin and then cook them in the pan itself. I go with the first method as it is easy to boil the potatoes first.
• Most homes make jeera aloo in the simplest way just by using cumin and green chilies to spice & add heat. But I prefer to use a few more ingredients which elevate the flavor of the dish.
• You can also grill the potatoes in a oven and then add them to the tempering. I often do this for dinner to go with the rice & gravy.

Variations of jeera aloo

I make so many variations to this recipe. Kids need fancy & new varieties every time for their meal. So I sometimes add in some green peas, cubed capsicum, sometimes a handful of methi leaves or palak (spinach).

I even add sliced mushrooms or broccoli. Then roast them for a while. Then add the potatoes. Any variations will just go well in this dish. Get creative & add in the veggies you love!

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Easy jeera aloo recipe

Jeera aloo

Jeera aloo is a mildly spiced dish made of boiled potatoes & cumin. It is served as a side dish with rice-dal, puri or roti.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Servings3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Ingredients for jeera aloo

• 4 medium potatoes or aloo
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• 1 tbsp ginger chopped or adrak (optional)
• 1 green chilli chopped or hari mirch
• 1/8 tsp asafoetida or hing
• ¼ tsp mango powder or amchur (or lemon juice)
• ¼ to ½ tsp salt or namak as needed
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi (optional)
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 to 3 tbsp coriander leaves or daniya patta

spices for jeera aloo

• 1¼ tsp cumin or jeera
• 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
• ¾ to 1 tsp red chilli powder or lal mirch powder
• ¾ tsp cumin powder or jeera powder
• 1¼ tsp coriander powder or daniya powder

How to make the recipe

Preparation for jeera aloo recipe

• Wash and boil potatoes just until cooked. They should not be mushy. You can boil them in a pot or cooker with enough water covering them.
• Cool them and peel off the skin.
• Cube them to desired sizes. Set aside.

How to make jeera aloo

• Heat a pan with oil and ghee. Add jeera and allow them to splutter.
• Next saute ginger and green chilies for a minute.
• Reduce the flame to low. Then add in hing, turmeric, chili powder, jeera powder, daniya powder, salt and amchur.
• Also add in kasuri methi. Saute till fragrant. This takes just a minute.
• Pour 3 tbsp water and combine well. Very soon the mixture thickens.
• Add in the boiled aloo. Toss them gently and cover the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 mins on a low heat.
• Sprinkle coriander leaves. Add more salt if needed.
• Serve jeera aloo with rice-dal, poori, roti or chapati.

NUTRITION

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7.4% | Vitamin C: 16.3% | Calcium: 3.5% | Iron: 10.6%

Notes

You can use more spice powders to make the dish spicy. It was medium spicy and not hot.

Preparation – jeera aloo recipe

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly. Boil them just until cooked and not mushy. You can cook in a pressure cooker on a medium flame for 1 to 2 whistles. I cook in a pot with a partially covered lid. To check if they are cooked, prick with a fork. If still uncooked then you will feel the hardness.

You can also cube the potatoes first and then cook them in pressure cooker or in pot. The potatoes must hold shape and not become mushy.

2. Cool them and remove the skin. Cube them to desired sizes.

How to make jeera aloo

3. Next add ghee or oil to the hot pan. Add cumin and fry on a low heat until they smell good.

4. Add chili and ginger. If you have kids at home, skip the chili. Ginger is also optional but adds flavor. You can also add ginger garlic paste if you do not have ginger.

5. Fry them for a minute until a nice aroma comes out. Then add hing. You can skip hing if you don’t have or don’t like it. Take care not to over fry ginger as it may lend a bitter taste.

6. Reduce the flame to low. Add chili powder.

7. Then next goes in the cumin powder. To make cumin powder I roasted the cumin seeds on a low flame until aromatic. Cooled completely and then powdered. I usually make a lot of cumin powder and store it in a glass jar.

8. After that add in coriander powder as well. I do the same to make the coriander powder as well.

9. Sprinkle amchur (or dried mango powder). You can skip this and add lemon juice later.

10. Add in the salt and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) too. You can skip kasuri methi but we love that as it adds a unique aroma.

11. Mix and fry for a 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not burn.

12. Quickly pour 3 tbsp water and mix.

13. Soon the the spice powder blends well with water and thickens.

Frying jeera aloo

14. Next add in the potatoes and toss them gently. Do not over mix otherwise they may turn mushy.

15. Cover and cook on the lowest flame. This helps jeera aloo to absorb the flavors. Taste it and add more salt if needed.

16. Finally sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve jeera aloo as a side with rice, roti or paratha. It also goes well in sandwiches, wraps or rolls.