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
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the salt. Add the potato cubes and boil for about 7 minutes, until soft on the outside but still firm in the middle. Drain well and leave in the colander a few minutes so the steam dries them.
- 700g potatoes
- 2 litres water
- 1 tbsp salt
✅ Done when: potatoes are soft outside but still firm in the center
Fry the cumin seeds
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and dried chillies and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds, until the seeds darken slightly and smell toasty. Watch closely so they do not burn.
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 dried red chillies
✅ Done when: seeds are a shade darker and smell toasty
Add ginger, chili and spices
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Fry the potatoes
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Finish
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Boil the potatoes
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the salt. Add the potato cubes and boil for about 7 minutes, until soft on the outside but still firm in the middle. Drain well and leave in the colander a few minutes so the steam dries them.
- 700g potatoes
- 2 litres water
- 1 tbsp salt
✅ Done when: potatoes are soft outside but still firm in the center
Fry the cumin seeds
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and dried chillies and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds, until the seeds darken slightly and smell toasty. Watch closely so they do not burn.
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 dried red chillies
✅ Done when: seeds are a shade darker and smell toasty
Add ginger, chili and spices
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Fry the potatoes
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Finish
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
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
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!