Jeera Aloo (Cumin-Spiced Potatoes)
Photo: Anil Sharma / Unsplash
North India's favourite everyday potato dish: golden cubes of potato tossed in sizzling cumin seeds, whole dried chillies, turmeric and fresh coriander. Crisp-edged, fragrant and ready in about half an hour.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Boil the potatoes
Boil the potato cubes in salted water for about 7 minutes, until soft on the outside but still firm in the middle. Drain well. Leave them in the colander for a few minutes so the steam dries them.
Fry the cumin seeds
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and dried chilies. Let them sizzle until the seeds get a little darker and smell toasty. Don't let them burn.
Add ginger, chili and spices
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Fry the potatoes
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Finish
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Serve
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Boil the potatoes
Boil the potato cubes in salted water for about 7 minutes, until soft on the outside but still firm in the middle. Drain well. Leave them in the colander for a few minutes so the steam dries them.
Fry the cumin seeds
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and dried chilies. Let them sizzle until the seeds get a little darker and smell toasty. Don't let them burn.
Add ginger, chili and spices
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Fry the potatoes
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Finish
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Potatoes are not native to India: Portuguese traders brought them from the Americas, and by the 18th and 19th centuries they had become one of the subcontinent's most loved vegetables, cooked in dozens of regional styles.
Jeera aloo is the simplest of them all — a North Indian home-kitchen staple built on the tempering technique called tadka, where whole spices are bloomed in hot oil to release their flavour.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's naturally vegan and gluten-free, and its partnership with dal and puris makes it a fixture of Indian family meals, roadside dhabas and festival-day fasting menus.
💡 Fun Fact
On Hindu fast days, a version of jeera aloo is made with rock salt (sendha namak) instead of regular salt, because it is considered pure enough for fasting.
Punjab, North India
30.90°N, 75.85°E
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