Jeera aloo is home-style, delicious and quick to make Indian side dish. This is one of the simplest potato-based sabzi recipes.
❤️About This Recipe
When you translate the name, jeera=cumin seeds and aloo=potatoes. Meaning boiled potatoes are flavored with cumin.
This sabji has mild flavors as very few spice powders are used and that too in very little quantity. So the most flavor is coming from the cumin. Hence the name jeera aloo.
This is such a quick recipe that doesn’t call for much prep work. It gets ready in 10 minutes only (if you have boiled the potatoes ahead of time).
I prefer to make this for the lunchbox, as I can make it in no time during busy mornings. I keep washed potatoes in instant pot (with timer option) at night, so when I wake up I’ll have boiled potatoes ready to use.
This Indian side dish is vegan and gluten-free.
🧾Ingredients
Here is the pic of the ingredients used in making the simple and delicious jeera aloo recipe. You’ll need only 10 ingredients and all of them are very basic and easily available.
Potatoes: Here in the USA, I prefer to use red skin or Yukon gold potatoes for any Indian dishes. I don’t prefer the russet, Idaho potatoes as they don’t have enough moisture and starch. So they don’t hold the shape after boiling and may crumble or fall apart as you cut into cubes. If you are in India, you’re good to go.
Adding ginger and green chilies enhances the flavor. I would not use garlic, as it overpowers the cumin flavor.
Adding lemon/lime juice at the end will perk up the whole dish to a new level. So please do not skip.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Boiling potatoes: Check out this post of instant pot boiled potatoes for details. Or use the stovetop pressure cooker (2 whistles). Once the potatoes are cool to touch, peel and discard the skin. Cut into cubes.
1) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Cumin seeds will get a nice brown color and you’ll have a nice toasty aroma of the cumin.
2) Now add ginger and green chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger goes away.
3) Add turmeric powder and mix.
4) Immediately add cubed potatoes, salt, red chili powder, and coriander powder.
5) Mix well so all the masala is coated to cubed potatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until potatoes gets hot. If it is sticking to the pan then add a splash of water and continue.
6) Now add lemon juice and mix. Turn off the stove. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.
💭Expert Tips
- Be careful while boiling the potatoes. They should be just soft (not overcooked where they become crumbly or mushy).
- To get the clean-cut and nice cubes of potatoes, always let the boiled potatoes cool down completely and then chop. If chopped/cubed while they are piping hot, they will surely break and become crumbly.
- Sautéing the cumin seeds till they are brown in color is MUST. Otherwise, you will not get a good cumin flavor. As the cumin seeds fry in the oil, they give a strong aroma. This is what we are looking for.
- Sometimes while cooking the sabzi it might stick to the bottom of the pan. If this happens sprinkle a little water and continue.
🍽 Serving Ideas
Serve jeera aloo with Indian bread like roti, poori, paratha, bedmi puri, etc.
This can be served as a side dish with your dal-chawal. I would serve roasted papad on the side for some crunch.
You can mash it lightly and use this as a stuffing for sandwiches.
You can make paratha roll by stuffing this sabji with some thinly sides salad (cabbage, carrot, bell pepper) as a topping - like kathi roll.
Check Out Other Potato-based Sabzis
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📋 Recipe Card
Jeera Aloo
Ingredients
- 2 medium or 1 ½ cups Potatoes Boiled, peeled and cubed (See Notes)
- 1 ½ tablespoons Oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cumin seeds
- 2 Green chilies chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon Ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- 2-3 teaspoons Lemon juice or lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Seeds will get a nice brown color and you’ll have a nice toasty aroma of the cumin.
- Now add ginger and green chili. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger goes away.
- Add turmeric powder and mix.
- Immediately add cubed potatoes, salt, red chili powder, and coriander powder.
- Mix well so all the masala is coated to the potatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until potatoes get shot. If it is sticking to the pan then add a splash of water and continue.
- Now add lemon juice and mix. Turn off the stove. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.
Notes
- Check out this post of instant pot boiled potatoes for details. Or use the stovetop pressure cooker (2 whistles).
- Once they are cool to touch, peel and discard the skin. Cut into cubes.
- Be careful while boiling potatoes. They should be just soft (not overcooked where they become crumbly or mushy).
- To get the clean-cut and nice cubes of potatoes, always let the boiled potatoes cool down completely and then chop. If chopped/cubed while they are piping hot, they will surely break and become crumbly.
Thank you so much for sharing !! This is a delicious and easy recipe !!
Glad that you liked.
made this today. We loved it. Thank you so much !
Glad to hear.