Potato Masala is an easy, go-to recipe in most Indian households, particularly when Capati or other types of roti are served at the table.
Potato Masala is a versatile dish with a popular carbohydrate; one which you can find in many Indian houses and restaurants. Also known as Aloo Masala, this slightly damp dish makes a great companion for bread dishes, such as prata, capati or even the South Indian thosai or dosa. In fact, this is the masala that you find inside the popular ‘Masala Dosa/Thosai’ dish in restaurants down in Little India.
I’ve made this version with green peas, as I am a huge fan of the frozen pea. You can of course use other types of vegetables that suit your purpose, including meat. When I first started making this dish, I added boiled and peeled eggs. In most instances, the potatoes are paired with gobi, or cauliflower.
Spice
You can adjust the spice for this dish as you’d like. I’ve added only one chilli padi here, as I used chilli powder as part of the spice mixture. This adds to the total heat of the dish, so best to proceed cautiously when making this. If you don’t have the Garam Masala, Chilli Powder and Turmeric separately, then you can consider using curry powder instead. Typically, curry powder has various spices in different proportions. While the taste may be slightly different, almost curry like, of course, it should not compromise on the flavour of this dish.
Tang Factor
Most Indian dishes typically have a sour flavour element that can bring the dish to life, much like in Thai cooking. Indian cooking usually involves either tamarind or tomatoes to achieve the prerequisite tang in the food. In this potato masala, I have used tomatoes. However, when making this dish I did not have fresh tomatoes on hand so I improvised with the next best thing; tomato puree. This has got such strong, concentrated tomato flavour that it more than makes up for not having tomatoes on hand. However, I’ve added some water to get the slight, wet gravy that is needed to coat and canoodle the potato pieces.
Easy Potato Masala Recipe
Course: SidesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes15
minutesPotato Masala is an easy, go-to recipe in most Indian households, particularly when Capati or other types of roti are served at the table.
You’ll need;
3 Medium Potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds (black or white)
1 Large Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
1-inch Piece Ginger, peeled and chopped
1 Chilli Padi, stemmed and chopped
1 Tbsp Tomato Puree
4 – 5 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tsp Turmeric
2 Tbsp Chilli Powder
150g Frozen Peas
½ Tsp Salt (more if needed)
You’ll need to;
Place the potatoes in a pan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil until the potatoes are partly cooked. This is to say, they can break apart when you pierce them with a fork, but with a little resistance. Drain, cover, with tap water and set aside.
While the potatoes are cooking, you can work on preparing the other ingredients.
In a medium saucepan, preferably non-stick, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the onions immediately. Fry till they are soft and translucent, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Cool until tender and fragrant, then add the tomato puree and half the water. Stir to mix.
Add the cooked potatoes, followed by the garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder. You can salt at this stage. Then, add the frozen peas and stir to mix. Clamp on a lid and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the lid and check to see that the potatoes are fully cooked through. Using the spatula, break up the potatoes to create some texture. Then, remove from heat and serve warm with roti.Par-
Notes
- Par-boiling the potatoes helps speed up the cooking process. You can skip this, but do prepare to wait for a bit while your potatoes cook in the wok and you might run the risk of burning the spices.
- If you don’t have Tomato Puree at home, you can add 2 fresh tomatoes. This will alter the cooking time, as the tomatoes will need at least 4 minutes to soften in the heat. Add the tomatoes (chopped into cubes) exactly when the puree is supposed to go in.