This baby potato curry is also known as dahi wale aloo – a pure vegetarian Indian curry without onion, garlic, and tomato. Be sure to watch the video!
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Do we love potatoes? I think that would be an understatement. As a proud Indian family, we eat potatoes in various delicious forms at least thrice a week. And that explains the reason for so many potato recipes on my blog as well as in my upcoming cookbook.
This dahi potato curry is one of our weekday staples. Simple, delicious, and flavoursome are some words that perfectly define this curry recipe. And the best part is there is no chopping involved.
More Reasons To LOVE Dahi Wale Aloo
- purely vegetarian
- easy to customize
- gluten and nut free
- no onion/garlic/tomato
The Potatoes for Curry
I use tiny baby potatoes for this curry recipe. These baby potatoes are perfect for making a salad or spicy South Indian-style potato masala fry.
You can use regular-size potatoes as I do for my Mathur Style Aloo Sabzi; cut them into quarters or chunks.
Parboil potatoes in a pressure cooker for 1 – 2 whistles, and an instant pot, it takes 2 minutes at high pressure. Peel off the skin, and proceed with the curry recipe instructions.
The Achari Flavour
In India, the term ‘achari’ is used to describe any dish like achari paneer tikka or bharwa baingan with a taste and aroma similar to a pickle.
In this potato curry, the Indian-style achari flavour comes from mustard oil, nigella seeds (kalonji), mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chilies, and cumin seeds. The addition of whisked curd gives curry a perfect touch of sourness.
You can add a little teaspoon of achaar masala (pickle spice mix) to the curry to make it even more delicious.
Ingredients Required
Apart from potatoes, you need these ingredients to make dahi wale aloo.
- Curd: Make sure it is room temperature and not cold.
- Whole Spices: Bay Leaf, Dried Red Chilies, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds (rai), Fenugreek Seeds (methi dana), Nigella Seeds (kalonji), Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)
- Spice Powder: Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Asafoetida (Hing)
- Mustard Oil: It gives a delicious taste and achari flavour to the potato curry. You can substitute it with refined oil or vegetable oil.
- Other Ingredients: Ginger Paste, Water, Salt
Watch Potato Curry Video
Serving Suggestion
Baby Potato Curry is an Indian main-course dish.
Serve this curry with chapati, paratha, atta poori, or spinach poori for a delicious Indian-style festive meal. It tastes delicious with basmati rice as well.
Store the leftover in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Reheat in a microwave or stovetop pan before serving.
My Tried and True Tips
- Boil potatoes for 1 – 2 whistles only. They should remain al-dente with firm flesh. DO NOT boil them for too long.
- Make sure the potatoes turn crisp and golden before adding curd.
- Whisk curd nicely to a smooth consistency. Otherwise, the potato curry will have tiny lumps of curd.
- Add whisked curd slowly and steadily while stirring the curry with the other hand. This ensures there are no lumps of curd in the curry.
- Add salt towards the end. So that the curd doesn’t split or spoil. I learned this trick from my mother, which works like a charm.
- Ensure the curd is at room temperature and not straight out of the refrigerator before adding to the potato curry.
More Indian Curry Recipes
- Dum Aloo
- Egg Curry
- Lobia Masala
- Aloo Ki Sabzi
- Paneer Curry
- Chicken Curry
- Shahi Soya Curry
- Cauliflower Curry
follow us on Youtube and Instagram for video recipes.
Baby Potato Curry Recipe
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 250 gram baby potato
- 1 Cup curd (dahi)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- ⅛ Cup mustard oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 dried red chilies
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds ( kalonji)
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 ¼ Cup water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon chopped corriander
Instructions
- Parboil the baby potato in a pressure cooker or instant pot. Peel off the skin. Set them aside.
- Combine curd, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and ¼ cup water. Whisk to a smooth, lump free consistency. Set it aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet. Once the oil starts fuming, reduce the heat to low. Add bay leaf, red chilies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, cumin, ginger, and nigella seeds. Fry for 20 – 30 seconds to release the aroma of spices.
- Next, add the boiled potato. Stir fry them over high heat till crisp and golden.
- Add 1 cup of water, stir to combine, cover, and bring the curry to a quick boil.
- Now, with one hand, slowly add the whisked curd while with another stir the curry using a wire whisk. This step ensures there is no lump formation.
- Allow the curry to simmer over low heat. Once the curry starts boiling, add salt, kasuri methi, and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat for 2 – 5 minutes. Not more than that.
- Garnish the potato curry with chopped coriander.
- Serve dahi potato curry with paratha or poori.
Recipe Notes:
- Use plain, unflavored, unsweetened curd for this curry recipe.
- If the curd is too thick, add ¼ cup to ½ cup of water while whisking.
Bonnie Sharpe says
In the United States we don’t use the term “whistle” in pressure cooking. Does it translate to an amount of time?
Hina Gujral says
Hello Bonnie, in Indian sub-continent, the gas stove pressure cooker blows the whistle to release the pressure. And with each whistle, one can estimate the cooking time. If you are using an electric pressure cooker then this curry takes 10 – 12 minutes and almost the same time in an instant pot as well.