Dry Aloo Sabzi (Aloo Ki Sukhi Sabzi)

This dry aloo sabzi (dry spiced potatoes) makes for a simple but tasty Indian lunch. It comes together easily with a few simple ingredients like yellow potatoes, onions, garlic and some spices. Serve with home cooked roti and dal (lentils) for a complete meal.

Want to try more delicious Indian potato recipes? Check out Bombay potatoes, another dry preparation. Or go for a potato curry with sauce (aloo curry) that you can have with rice.

Ah, potatoes! Who is not a fan? This humble but versatile root vegetable is so adaptable to all kinds of cooking, and Indian vegetarian recipes are no exception to its magic. Potatoes are filling and satisfying and readily take on the taste of whatever sauce or spices they are cooked in.

Here's my version of the simple potato sabzi or curry, a staple in North Indian homes. It's a wholesome vegan recipe, and like most Indian recipes, it is best had with piping hot roti or chapati and a dal. Together, this meal combo makes for an unassuming but very tasty meal.

I also love putting leftover aloo sabzi between slices of lightly toasted and buttered bread for an impromptu sandwich. It tastes so good.

Want to take the yum factor even higher? Serve aloo sabzi with poori, a fried Indian bread. It's a killer combo that you will not get enough of!

🥘 Ingredients

Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

• Yellow potatoes, boiled and cut into small cubes - can be subbed with any other kind easily.
• Cooking oil - I generally like to use light olive oil for most of my cooking, but you can use any oil as long as it's not very strong tasting.
• Cumin seeds
• Red onions, sliced
• Garlic, chopped
• Coriander seeds, dry roasted and crushed. Freshly roasted coriander gives the best flavour, but you can substitute with pre-ground coriander powder in a pinch.
• Red chilli powder
• Turmeric powder
• Black salt (kala namak) - this is a tangy salt, pink in color and easily available in the international aisles of most supermarkets as well as Indian or Pakistani grocery shops. It brightens the flavors of the sabzi.
• Mango powder (amchur or khatai as it is also known as) - again, this can be found in the same places as the black salt above. Adds a nice bit of tang to the sabzi.
• Cilantro leaves, chopped. If you're not a fan, use chopped parsley or even mint leaves instead.
• Green chillies (optional) - for a bit flavor and heat. Choose a mild chilli pepper like jalapeño and deseed it if you can't tolerate much heat.
• lemon juice (optional) - for a great lemony flavor, of course.

🔪 Instructions

This sabzi requires a little prep, but the actual cooking takes five minutes only. Here's what you need to do:

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. We want the potatoes to be cooked through but still firm enough to retain their shape. You can boil the potatoes on the stovetop, or use an instant pot.

• Stovetop: Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender (20 minutes approximately). Check by inserting a fork into one potato; it should go through with little resistance. Once done, drain off the water and rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Peel and cut into small cubes.

• Instant pot: Add the potatoes to the steel insert of your instant pot. Cover completely with water and secure the lid. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes with a 10 minute pressure release. Follow the rest of steps above.

Note: Both the stovetop and instant pot methods take roughly the same amount of time, but the advantage with the latter is that it doesn't require any monitoring. You can set the pot to do its thing and walk away. If you have an instant pot, make use of it!

2. While the potatoes are boiling, do the rest of the prep.

• Chop the onions, garlic, and cilantro finely.

• Roast and grind the coriander seeds: Take a small frypan and set it on medium heat. Add the coriander seeds and move them around with a spoon until they change color slightly and give off a distinct aroma. Take off the heat and allow them to cool down a bit, then grind in a coffee or spice grinder.

3. Cook the potato curry

• Keep a karahi (wok) or small pot on medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add the onions and garlic. Fry until the onions are just turning reddish brown.

• Add the potatoes and the ground spices. Stir with a spoon to coat the potatoes with the spices and cook for 4-5 minutes only. Do not add any water.

• Finally, add the chopped cilantro. Top with slit green chillies and lemon juice if using. Serve hot with the bread of your choice.

💭 Top tips

• You can use any variety of baby potatoes for this recipe. Adjust the time accordingly (baby potatoes cook faster). They also have thin skins, so there's no need to peel them. Halve them if you must after they are boiled.
• Do use chopped garlic only, not minced. Minced garlic will make the sabzi a little sludgy, and we don't want that. We want soft but dry and crisped up potatoes wrapped in spices here.
• Mentioned before, but don't add water while cooking the sabzi. It will change the look and taste of the sabzi and make it, well, watery.
• If you find the taste of coriander seeds too overpowering, you can substitute coriander with half a teaspoon of ground cumin. Cumin has a nice earthy taste that goes very well with potato sabzi.

More Indian vegan sabzi recipes with potatoes

📖 Recipe