Aloo Bhaji

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Aloo Bhaji recipe by Barefeet In The Kitchen

Aloo Bhaji is something that we will be making again and I love that I now have a fun new name for what was a truly great potato side dish.

The flavors surprised me and we even found a new spice to add to our collection. The chile blended with the potatoes and provided much more flavor than I expected.

Quick definition here for those of you who might be wondering what on earth I am posting today:
Aloo – Potato
Bhaji – Indian dish consisting of vegetables, especially onion

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My first attempt at Aloo Bhaji began by admitting just how lacking my knowledge of Indian cuisine was. Perhaps it shows my ridiculous naivete, but I have always thought of green chile as being more exclusive to my own southwestern part of the world. Silly, right?

Here is the recipe as Trisha originally posted it. The recipe below reflects my adaptation. (Yes, I changed it a bit. I was a complete novice in the world of Indian food and couldn’t find a couple of things that were included.)

The original recipe called for fresh curry leaves. I couldn’t find them locally, so I assumed that curry powder would be an acceptable substitute. When I double-checked to make sure, I discovered that curry powder does not contain any curry leaves at all! Who knew?!

(Seriously, I want to know if anyone reading this actually knew that!) The recommended substitute was basil leaves, but obviously, the flavor would have been quite different with the original curry leaves.

Full disclosure, I’m admitting that I didn’t know coriander was cilantro, so when I couldn’t find coriander at the store, I left it out. I purchased some dried coriander, but it really did not fit into the recipe the way it was originally written, so I left it out in the end.

Side note: Did you notice the ridiculously small portion shown in the picture? This was so tasty that we ate more of it than I expected and I had almost nothing left to photograph! That should teach me not to skip taking a picture before we eat dinner.

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Aloo Bhaji

Recipe adapted from and with thanks to My Hobbie Lobbie (website no longer available)
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 3 medium size potatoes boiled, peeled and cubed (I am going to roast these next time, because we prefer the texture of crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside roasted potatoes.)
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped into 1" pieces
  • 2 canned green chiles cut into 1/2"-1" pieces
  • 8 basil leaves very thinly sliced *see note below
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds I used yellow ones
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder first time using this spice and we really liked the flavor it added to the onions
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh coriander or cilantro leaves chopped **see second note below
  • juice of ¼ lime about 1 teaspoon
  • 1 tablespoon light flavored olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them sputter. Add the basil and then add the chopped chile and let it release it's flavor into the oil for a couple minutes.
  • Add the chopped onions and saute it for a few minutes, stirring infrequently, until the  onions have softened and turned brown on the edges. Add the turmeric powder and stir well to coat the onions. Let it cook for about a minute longer and stir to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan.
  • Add the lime juice and salt to taste. Stir well. Add the potatoes and toss gently to coat the potatoes with the spice mixture. Check the seasonings and adjust as desired. Once the potatoes have warmed in the skillet, sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and and toss lightly. Remove from the heat and serve hot.
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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Trisha says

    Mary, I'm so glad you liked it. And you know what, I think your idea of roasting the potatoes is fabulous. We've always made it this way and I guess it didn't occur to me to change things up! I probably would've never thought of it. I can't wait to see what it turns out like!

  2. Kristi says

    Awesome that you stepped out of your comfy zone. I did the same thing this month (but sorta the opposite of you, I did dessert). I love Aloo Gobi (potatoes w/ cauliflower) so I'm sure I'd love this too. Yum!

  3. Kristen says

    Such a great way to treat potatoes! I am a complete Indian food novice, too, but I love to eat it in restaurants. Maybe I will get Trisha's blog soon 🙂

  4. Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking says

    Love a new potato recipe! Sounds delicious, Mary!
    You made me laugh only because I had no idea about the corianderor the curry leaves. I feel edjamacated now! 😉
    I laughed about the picture, too. Either you wait to take the pictures and have hardly anything left or you take the picture while listening to the ravenous family members grumbling, "Can't we eat yet??!!"
    Oh, the sacrifices.

  5. Demandra says

    The only reason why I know that curry leaves and curry powder are not the same thing is thanks to a cooking class I took a year or so ago, called "Curries of the World." The stuff we made in class was AMAZING. I have yet to be able to replicate it at home. Ug. But curries, particularly of the Indian variety, are our favorite food. Will definitely be trying this one out. Thanks also for the link!

  6. Jennifer says

    Stopping by from group B. So fun to be in the Secret Recipe Club with you. Great Post! Way to step out there and post something unfamiliar to you. I love Indian food and I have to admit, cooking with all the new and different spices can be intimidating…you did a great job!

    If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to drop by my blog and check out my SRC recipe this month: Avocado Omelet