Potato masala or aloo masala recipe for dosa, poori, sandwich, roti rolls (wraps) or can be served as a side with rice. This potato masala is much known as aloo masala in South India and is most commonly served with masala dosa as a filling. This delicious side dish tastes not only delicious but is also aromatic & easy to make.
If you have the preboiled potatoes, this recipe just takes about 10 mins. You can either boil the potatoes in a pot, traditional pressure cooker or instant pot.
This recipe will give you aloo masala that tastes close to the one served in South Indian restaurants.
I usually make this for the breakfast to eat with dosas & poori. I use the rest to make kathi rolls or potato sandwich for the lunch box.
My people at home also love this with lemon rice, coconut rice, pudina rice, or sesame rice.
The texture of the curry can be adjusted to suit your liking. I prefer to keep it slightly moist, little dry than the curry served in restaurants. This helps the dosa and sandwich to keep crisp for a little longer.
Preparation
1. Cook 400 grams potatoes until just done in whatever way you like. In the cooker, steamer or directly in a pot. I cook them in a pot with just enough water to cover. If you are a beginner, I suggest cooking in a pot. Potatoes should not turn mushy but fully cooked. You can check by pricking a fork if it is done.
How to make potato masala for dosa, sandwich, rolls
2. On a medium flame, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. When the oil turns hot, lower the flame and add
¼ to ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chana dal (optional)
1 teaspoon urad dal (optional).
Fry until the dals turn golden. Then add 1 pinch of hing (asafoetida).
3. Add ½ tablespoon ginger (grated or fine chopped). Fry until it begins to smell good. [Tip: Optionally you may pour 2 to 3 tablespoons water at this stage and cook until the dal becomes soft. Ensure the water is evaporated fully before you proceed to the next step.]
4. Next add
1 medium chopped or sliced onions (½ to ¾ cup)
1 sprig curry leaves
1 to 2 chopped or slit green chilies
¼ teaspoon salt.
5. Fry until the onions turn pink.
6. Lower the flame, then add the
boiled potato
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon more salt. You can add turmeric to the onions to get a good color
7. Mash the potatoes gently with the spatula. You can also keep small cubes if you like it that way. Add little potato stock (potato cooked water) to bring together the potatoes. It will be fairly dry without the addition of water. I use about 3 to 4 tbsp. potato stock.
8. Mix everything well. Taste test and add more salt if needed. This is the texture we prefer and is good for dosa, sandwiches, rolls and lunch box as well. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.
Serve potato curry with dosa. To make sandwich i smear little pudina chutney to the bread first and then stuff this curry.
Here are my tips to make this the best.
Tips
Potatoes: Boil the potatoes until fork tender or until just done and not mushy. If the potatoes are cooked mushy, they will make your masala dosa soft when you stuff this.
Curry leaves, ginger & green chilies are the 3 main flavoring ingredients in this aloo masala. Do not skip them as you will miss those flavors. There are no substitutes to these.
Onions: Ensure you saute the onions well until the raw smell goes away. They must turn transparent and emit a sweet aroma.
For more Potato recipes,you can check
Poori masala
Potato curry
Potato kurma
Aloo gobi masala
Potato masala recipe for dosa
Potato masala (aloo masala)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for potato masala
- 2 cups potatoes peeled & diced to 1 inch cubes (400 grams, 3 medium)
- 1 medium onions chopped or sliced (about ½ to ¾ cup)
- ½ tablespoon ginger chopped or grated (about 1 inch)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
Tempering
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (optional)
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (optional)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 to 2 green chilies chopped or sliced
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric (use more if needed)
- 1 Pinch hing (optional)
For garnish
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped finely
Instructions
Method 1 – How to make potato masala (stovetop)
- Boil potatoes either in a pot or pressure cooker.
- If cooking in a pot, bring water to a boil and add the diced potatoes. Cook them just until done or fork tender and not mushy. OR If cooking in a pressure cooker, add the potatoes to a bowl and pour little water. Cover and pressure cook for 3 whistles on a medium flame.
- Ensure potatoes are just cooked and not very soft or mushy.
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin.
- When they begin to splutter, add chana dal and urad dal. Fry until golden and then add hing.
- Then add ginger and saute for 30 to 60 seconds until aromatic.
- Optional step to soften the dal – Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons water to the pan and cook until the dal turns soft. This is an optional step done to soften the dal. Ensure you evaporate all of the water before going to the next step.
- Add onions, green chili and curry leaves. Saute till the onions turn transparent.
- Once the onions turn transparent, add potatoes, turmeric and salt..
- Mash slightly and add very little water or potato boiled stock to make the entire potato masala moist. Stir and cook for one to 2 mins. Taste test and add more salt if needed.
- Add coriander leaves. Stir. Serve potato masala with dosa, puri, chapati, bread or rice.
Method 2 – How to make potato masala in instant pot
- Press SAUTE button and pour oil to the inner pot of the instant pot.
- Add mustard, cumin, chana dal & urad dal. Fry all of these until the dals turn golden.
- Then add curry leaves, onions and green chilies.
- Saute onions well until they turn transparent or pink. Add ginger and fry for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the diced potatoes (1 inch cubes), add salt, turmeric and pour ⅓ cup (80 ml) water.
- Press CANCEL button. Deglaze the pot by scrubbing the bottom with a spatula to release bits of food stuck.
- Secure the instant pot with the lid. Position the steam release handle or vent to sealing.
- Next press PRESSURE COOK button and set the timer to 4 mins (high pressure).
- When the instant pot is done, press cancel. Release the pressure manually by moving the steam release handle from sealing to venting.
- If there is any excess moisture left, evaporate it in the saute mode first.
- Give a good stir and lightly mash only after the excess moisture has evaporated. Add more salt if needed. Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve potato masala with dosa, sandwiches, roti or even in wraps.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Tara says
Delicious…. thank you sooo much…
swasthi says
Welcome!
Sunil Sharma says
Ma’am Namaskar,
After retirement from Air India, I started cooking for my Son as he likes tasty foods. I prefer to try your receipes or NDTV.
While making potato vegetable for Dosa, the chana daal is hard and crisp in final curry.
Kindly advise how to soften chana daal.
Thanks & Regrds,
God bless you !!!
Sunil Sharma. New Delhi
swasthi says
Namaskar Sunil sir,
Glad to know! After frying the ginger, pour 3 to 4 tablespoons water and cook until the dal becomes soft. Next evaporate the water completely and then add sliced onions.
The other way is to soak the dal for 30 mins to 1 hour in little hot water. Drain and then use as mentioned in the recipe. You can also skip the dal completely in the recipe. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for the wishes.
Sandy says
Swasthi, my son made this to an alternative recipe he had. I got a sample – yum. Yours has now become his new favourite 🙂
As always a question 🙂 I struggle to get mustard seeds to pop (higher heat) without at the same time overcooking the cumin seeds (which can splutter at lower heat). Assume it would not matter if I popped the mustard on a higher heat first, then lowered heat for cumin to sizzle without burning – then add dal.
As always – so grateful for your efforts.
swasthi says
Hello Sandy,
Thank you! Once the oil is hot enough, lower the heat and add the mustard seeds. Immediately followed by cumin and dal. Actually it won’t matter even if the mustards don’t pop in the beginning as they will pop later with the dal. Thanks for rating and leaving a comment.
🙂
Alice says
Fantastic! I was looking for a ‘good’ recipe for Potato Bhaji and the way you have given the recipe, as you mentioned in the ‘About swasthi’ section is what “got” me. My 15-year old daughter shares my love for this dish and we got to make it today. It is an easy enough recipe, but as the other readers have noted and you too, you are so methodical, don’t waste time….etc.
I will be using your blog/website to make the Rajma and Chole recipes. Thank you so much!
swasthi says
Hi Alice
You are welcome. So glad to know! Thank you so much!
Hope you enjoy the recipes.
🙂
Dwight D Waller says
Very good & delicious.
swasthi says
Thank you
rianna says
Delicious! We used sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, and it made the aloo masala just a little sweet, which tasted awesome inside of dosas! This recipe, while super easy to follow and beginner friendly, tastes just like what you get in restaurants or what my grandma would make. Thanks!
swasthi says
Hi Rianna
Glad to know it turned out good. Thank you!
Graham says
I am inspired to start cooking South Indian food again. My curry leaf tree in England will come into its own.
swasthi says
Yes do try the recipes!
Arti says
Love your recipes.. excellent taste. They are not complicated.. simple and easy to make.
Like your magical tips along with the recipes..They make a lot of difference in taste.
Thank you !
swasthi says
Welcome Arti
Happy to know! Thank you so much!
🙂
keerthana says
Looks great! The only thing I added was a spoon of besan, makes it a-amazing.
swasthi says
Glad to know Keerthana
Thank you
lukra says
I have made this a few time’s already as we really enjoy the potato with dosas. Thank you for posting it.
swasthi says
Glad to know!
Thank you
Anita says
Very nice recipes. Thank you for sharing
swasthi says
Welcome Anita
Faiza Harunani says
I don’t have the channa daal or urad daal right now. Can I add some gram flour, or should I just skip it completely?
swasthi says
Hi Faiza
Skip them