Jeera Aloo is a delicious vegetarian Indian dhaba style side dish recipe for boiled potatoes cooked in cumin seeds. A flavorful potato dish which you can prepare just in few minutes with only handful of ingredients. This easy cumin potato recipe is definitely a keeper, you won't regret it!
Table of Contents
What makes this recipe so good?
Tributes sprout in my mind when I think how the humble potato can transform into a crispy succulent dish like this Jeera Aloo. When there’s no vegetable available at home this starchy tuber comes to the rescue.
The great part of this Jeera Aloo recipe is, you can not only serve it as a side dish with bread or dal rice, but also enjoy as a snack as well as appetizer.
Be it lunch, dinner or breakfast, my family would happily welcome this tantalizing potato side dish. The aroma of the potatoes sizzling in oil infused with cumins fills the air, they are in pure joy waiting for the dish to arrive at the table.
It's a perfect meal during fasts which helps in keeping your empty stomach satisfied.
As this recipe has cumin seeds and roasted cumin powder, it enhances the flavor of this zingy dish. It also helps in the process of digestion along with ginger, turmeric, coriander seeds and also naturally add flavor to this dish.
Now, coming to the secret that makes this dry Jeera Aloo fry so delicious is the use of special homemade Jeera Masala. Lightly roasted mix of spices gives boiled baby potatoes a perfect Punjabi dhaba style flavor which is totally irresistible.
If you have boiled potatoes stored in your refrigerator, then you can pull it off in flat 15 minutes. Isn't it so easy and quick? 🙂
This Jeera Aloo is:
- Simple, quick and easy
- Versatile - serve it as snack, side dish, appetizer or mains
- Vegan, gluten free, paleo and whole30 approve
- Easily customisable for larger crowd
Ingredients + Notes
Coming down to the ingredients which you can below, you only need handful of pantry stuffs to make this delicious jeera aloo fry.
Potato : As you see here, I am using boiled baby potatoes for this recipe. But feel free to use regular boiled potato cubes here.
Chilies : Feel free to use serrano peppers in case if green chilies are not handy.
How to make Jeera Aloo
First, start with dry roasting the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and dried red chilies until fragrant.
Then, add the dry roasted masala and ½ teaspoon dry mango powder to the blender and blend to a coarse powder. The Jeera Masala is ready to use, set it aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil hot enough, reduce the flame to medium and add the cumin seeds and green chillies. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle for few seconds until fragrant, does not burn.
Add grated ginger and sauté for few seconds.
Then, add turmeric powder and cook for few seconds making sure it does not burn. Keep the flame medium low as to avoid burning.
Then add boiled baby potatoes, salt and toss very well, cover and cook on low for 3-4 minutes.
TIP: Let the potato sear for few extra minutes to give nice crispy golden layer.
After cooking boiled potatoes for few minutes, add ground jeera masala powder and mix. Cook on low heat for not more than 1 minute only, cooking for too long may burn the masala.
Finally, add lemon juice (or lime juice) and chopped cilantro leaves and toss.
Serve hot with puri, roti or paratha along with some sliced onions on side.
FAQs + Storage
1. Prepare jeera masala powder and set it aside.
2. Start with peeling and cutting the regular potatoes into small cubes. Heat oil in heavy bottom pan and the reduce the heat to medium.
3. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Then, add green chilies, ginger and turmeric powder.
4. Add potato cubes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Then, add salt and mix. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook again for 5-6 minutes until potato cubes and soft but intact.
6. Add prepared jeera masala and toss. Cook on low heat for 1 minute only.
7. Squeeze lemon juice and add chopped coriander leaves, toss. Serve hot with puris, parathas, roti or dal rice.
Transfer the leftover cumin potatoes in clean airtight box and refrigerate it up to 4 days.
Apart from baby potatoes, you can opt to use Yukon potatoes, russet potatoes as well as red skinned potatoes to make this recipe.
Expert Tips
To get the best dhaba style taste, please do not compromise on and skip jeera masala steps. It provides amazing flavor profile to this jeera aloo sabji.
As said above, you can use regular boiled potato cubes instead of baby potatoes here. For the below mentioned amount, use 2 and half cups boiled potatoes cubes.
Another key point to remember, heat the oil very well and then simmer the heat before adding cumin. The hot oil on simmering heat will infuse the cumin flavor to the oil perfectly without burning it.
Increase or decrease the amount of green chillies and red chillies as per your taste.
Serving Suggestion
You can serve this jeera aloo with any of your favorite Indian breads like Paratha, Roti, Puri or Bedmi Puri.
Or simply pair it with Khichdi or Dal Rice with some salad and papad on side.
A small bowl of cooked potatoes for breakfast keeps body energetic all day long. So, at times we even enjoy this small bowl of cumin potatoes as breakfast just like that! 🙂
More delicious potato recipes for you
If you made my Punjabi dhaba style Jeera Aloo recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you! I'd love to hear through your comments and ratings below.
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📖 Recipe
Jeera Aloo Recipe
Ingredients
For Jeera Masala
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 2-3 Dried Red Chilies
- ½ teaspoon Dry Mango Powder
For Aloo Jeera
- 1.1 lb Baby Potatoes (boiled and peeled)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2-3 Green Chilies (slit)
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ginger (grated)
- 2-3 tablespoons Oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt according to taste
Instructions
- Start with dry roasting cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and dried red chilies until fragrant.
- Then, add the dry roasted spices and ½ teaspoon dry mango powder to the blender and blend to a coarse powder. The Jeera Masala is ready to use, set it aside.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil hot enough, reduce the flame to medium and add the cumin seeds and green chillies. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle for few seconds until fragrant, does not burn.
- Add grated ginger and sauté for few seconds.
- Then, add turmeric powder and cook for few seconds making sure it does not burn. Keep the flame medium as to avoid burning.
- Then add boiled baby potatoes, salt and toss very well, cover and cook on low for 3-4 minutes. Tip: Let the potato sear for few extra minutes to give nice crispy golden layer.
- After cooking boiled potatoes for few minutes, add ground jeera masala powder and mix. Cook on medium low for a minute only, cooking for too long may burn the masala.
- Finally, add lemon juice (or lime juice) and chopped cilantro leaves and toss.
- Serve hot with bread of choice, or dal rice or even with pulao rice.
Riddhi
I made this recipe today! Came out nice. I added Chicken tandoori masala in addition to the masala in the recipe. Tastes amazing!!
Tasneem
I made this recipe and everyone loved it. Will surely make it again
Ryan
Thanks for sharing this recipe!! I will try to cook at home by following your tips..
Farrukh Aziz
Thank you very much Ryan 🙂
Nidhi Singh
Amazing recipe especially the jeera masala is awesome.I tried ait and loved it.
Farrukh Aziz
Thanks Nidhi, I am glad you liked it. Yes, that jeera is magical and lends awesome flavour to jeera aloo 🙂
SHRUTI
I tried this simple yet fabulous receipe and it was a big hit with my kids.. Thanks Farrukh.. I have seen your blog with yummy recipes and scintillating photography.
I have become your huge fan. Luv you
Keep posting delectable recipes
Farrukh Aziz
Thank you very much Shruti 🙂
Regards
Farrukh
Jyotsna
Hi Farrukh. These quick cumin potato fry came out so delicious. Thank you so much
Donna
Just tried it and it was super easy and super delicious.
Farrukh Aziz
Hello Donna aunty,
Thank you so much, I am glad you loved it 🙂
Regards,
Farrukh
HMago
Were & still are known as "Train Waley Aloo" in our family, with Saade Paraunthe.
Have made these with Shahi-Zeera (Black Cumin) also, takes the flavor onto a higher level........
& a little dahi (home-set-yogurt) with unboiled potatoes, to cook faster
Farrukh Aziz
Yes, they are train wale aloo for us too 🙂
And yes that dahi works good to unboiled potatoes, Thank you
Regards
Farrukh
Shilpa
What a quick and fabulous recipe it is, I tried it and it came out better than dhaba style. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Farrukh Aziz
Thank you Shilpa 🙂
Am glad it came so good and you liked it
Regards
farrukh