Potato Masala

Serves: —

main indian vegetarian potato

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 0.5 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • 1 teaspoon split urad dal
  • 1 teaspoon chana dal (bengal gram)
  • 2 green chilies, finely chopped
  • 1 stalk curry leaves
  • 1 inch ginger, minced
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 large onion, sliced thinly lengthwise (about 1 cup)
  • 0.25 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 3 medium yukon gold potatoes (about 400 grams)
  • salt to taste
  • 0.5 juice of half a lime
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves

Instructions

Stovetop Method

  1. Firstly, boil the potatoes in a stovetop pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles with little water on medium heat and let the pressure release naturally.
  2. You can also boil potatoes in the Instant Pot. Or you can also cook them in a large pot until just tender, about 15 minutes, drain, and set aside.
  3. Once it is cooled, peel, dice and then roughly mash it. Don't mash it completely.
  4. Heat the Kadai, add oil, once it's hot add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, chana dal, and saute it till dals become light brown.
  5. Then add green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, and asafetida and saute it for a few seconds.
  6. Now add onion, turmeric powder, salt and saute it for 2-3 minutes or till onions turn light brown.
  7. Then add boiled & mashed potato and mix it well, close the lid, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame.
  8. Lastly, add coriander leaves, squeeze lemon juice and mix it well. Potato/Aloo Masala filling for Dosa recipe is ready to serve.

Instant Pot Method

  1. Firstly, peel and dice the potatoes into ¾ -1 inch cubes. I used Yukun gold potatoes about 400 grams.
  2. Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil, once hot, add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, chana dal, and saute it till dals become light brown.
  3. Then add green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, asafetida and saute it for 30 secs.
  4. Now add onion, turmeric powder, salt and saute it for 2-3 minutes or till onions turn light brown.
  5. Add diced potatoes along with ⅓ cup of water. Deglaze the pot i.e., Make sure to scrape any spice if sticking to the pot to avoid BURN alert.
  6. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
  7. When the instant pot beeps, do a QUICK RELEASE (QR).
  8. Remove lid away from you, sprinkle coriander leaves and lemon juice, mix well.
  9. You can also roughly mash using potato masher according to your preference.
  10. Potato (Aloo) Masala curry is ready, serve hot with Dosa, Poori, chapatis, & parathas.

Notes

Tips to make the Best Potato Masala: Choose the right potatoes: Idaho potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and Russet potatoes are the best potatoes for making potato masala. Tempering with the spices: Make sure to include tempering ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, green chilies, and ginger to get the restaurant-style flavor of the dish. Make it creamy: Adding little milk at the end adds creaminess and richness to the dish.

Variations: Add vegetables: You can add other vegetables to the potato masala to make it more nutritious and flavorful. Some popular choices include peas, carrots, cauliflower, and bell peppers. Make it spicy: Add extra green chilies to make it extra spicy. Add protein: You can add a protein like crumbled or shredded paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or tofu to the dish. Add nuts: You can add roasted peanuts or cashews to add crunch and nutty flavor to the aloo masala.