Jeera Aloo (Bay Potatoes with Cumin Seeds)

Jeera aloo is a classic Indian side dish that tastes great paired with roti, naan, or rice. Boiled baby potatoes are sautéed with cumin seeds and spices. This simple, easy-to-cook side dish takes less than 15 minutes if you have your potatoes cooked. With no onions and no garlic, this is a great option during fasting days.

Jump to:

• About aloo jeera recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make jeera aloo
• Variations
• Useful tips
• 📋Jeera Aloo

About aloo jeera recipe

Potato the humble root vegetable tastes delicious any way you cook it. Fry it, mash it, boil it, or add it to a curry – perfect and tasty. It would be hard to find someone who doesn’t love potatoes. Though it is high in carbohydrates, it’s hard to resist. No matter how hard I try to stay away from it, I just can’t succeed!

This vegetarian Indian side dish is popular across India and every household has its own signature aloo jeera recipe. Some make it spicy with ground dried red chili and other dried spices, some back it with light subtle flavors.

During Navaratri the fasting month that is celebrated in India, some stick to diet restrictions of excluding onion, garlic, and gluten from their food. Ginger, green chilies, and red chilies are used instead to enhance the flavor and taste of the dish.

A simple aloo jeera recipe with no onion and no garlic is a preferred side dish that is served alongside gluten-free flatbread and forms the most common meal during the fasting season.

The word aloo (Hindi language) translates to potato in English and jeera means cumin. This recipe uses generous amount of jeera both cumin seeds and ground cumin to enhance the flavor of potatoes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need –

• Baby potatoes
• Canola oil
• Ginger grated
• Cumin seeds
• Ground cumin
• Hing (asafetida)
• Turmeric powder
• Green chilies 
• Amchur powder (dry mango powder)
• Salt
• Cilantro

All the ingredient’s exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.

• Potatoes – baby potatoes or regular potatoes can be used. If using regular potatoes cut them into 1- inch cubes. Potatoes need to be boiled (until just cooked) before using in the recipe. Do not over cook potatoes, it will turn the dish mushy.
• Canola oil – you can also use vegetable oil like sunflower oil.
• Cumin – this recipe uses both whole cumin seeds and ground cumin (cumin powder).
• Ginger – fresh ginger. I do not recommend ground ginger, it will alter the flavor and taste of the dish.
• Asafetida – Optional but highly recommend you don’t skip it. You’ll need just a pinch of it. It’s aids in digestion.
• Turmeric powder – a pinch of it. It not only adds a bright yellow color but has other healthy benefits. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Green chilies – add a spicy kick. It’s essential to add heat to the aloo jeera recipe else it will turn bland and unappealing. Feel free to adjust the quantity of green chilies as per your heat tolerance levels. If you like it spicy, add more chilies.
• Amchur powder (dry mango powder) – it is only one of the essential flavor enhancers in Indian cuisine. Dry mango powder is always added at the end after the dish is cooked and the heat is off. If you can’t get amchur powder, you can squeeze 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice in the end.
• Cilantro – for garnish.

This recipe is another simple way to cook the humble root vegetable. This Jeera Aloo recipe is as simple as the one I mentioned above. Green chilies in the recipe make the dish spicy. So go ahead and adjust the number you want to add. I would always prefer spicier jeera aloo sabzi.

How to make jeera aloo

Jeera aloo is a simple dish with big flavors. Boiled potatoes, mixed with some simple spices – ginger, jeera, green chilies, hing, and amchur powder taste simply delicious. Serve it as an appetizer or as a side dish. Made with no onion, and no garlic, this dish tastes out of the world and makes a delicious finger food during any party.

I have used baby potatoes, but you can use big potatoes cut into quarters. Boil the potatoes until it’s just done (not overcooked). From there on recipe is straightforward. Sauté in oil grated ginger, jeera (cumin seeds), ground cumin, hing( asafetida), green chilies, amchur powder (mango powder), or lime juice.

Serve jeera aloo as sabzi or side dish for rotis and phulkas or naan. For the starter option serve it with mint chutney on the side – bliss! Just dip one baby potato in mint chutney pop in your mouth. I bet you would end up eating it all. So fair warning – cook up a bigger batch. There won’t be leftovers, I speak from experience.

Variations

This simple side dish can be easily customized.

Baby potatoes can be substituted with regular potatoes diced into 1-inch cubes.

To make it more flavorful dry roast 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, 1 ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, and 3 dry red chilies until fragrant. Allow roasted spices to cool down a bit then coarsely ground the spices. Use these spices while sautéing boiled potatoes with the rest of the ingredients.

Useful tips

1. Baby potatoes can be substituted with regular potatoes diced into 1-inch cubes.
2. To make it more flavorful dry roast 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, 1 ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, and 3 dry red chilies until fragrant. Allow roasted spices to cool down a bit then coarsely ground the spices. Use these spices while sautéing boiled potatoes with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Adjust the quantity of green chilies as per your heat tolerance levels.
4. Heat oil well and then reduce flame for oil to cool down a bit. It’s important to heat oil well and then cool it a bit (so whole cumin seeds do not burn) before sautéing cumin seeds, which will infuse the cumin flavors in the oil.

Love potatoes? Then you’ll love these too-

• Dum aloo restaurant style
• Baked potato roses
• Aloo tikki chaat

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