Of course, practice, perseverance and knowledge builds skill. This week I have been looking back as some recipes that I made all those decades ago when I began learning about Indian food. I’ve been cooking many of them again, and the results are almost terrifyingly different. A dish I thought was very basic, this recipe for Aloo Hing Jeera, I had marked as “subtly spiced, needs onions, better the next day, add green chilli and ginger.” That observation was not especially incorrect, according to my Western-trained palate at the time.

The same dish, made today, is beautiful, spiced well, the gravy is amazing and the texture of the potatoes with the spices is what I have come to expect of Indian food. My tastes have changed, I have experienced more widely, I have read widely and spoken to people both here and throughout India about food. AND, I have cooked and cooked and cooked Indian dishes. All shows in the difference between this dish and the one I made nearly 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Similar dishes include Aloo in Aloo, Sesame Potatoes, Aloo Bhindi, and Saag Aloo.

Browse all of our Potato dishes and our Indian recipes. All of our Indian Essentials are here. Or explore our Late Winter recipes.

We use Australian measurements: 1 tspn = 5ml; 1 Tblspn = 20ml; 1 cup = 250ml.

Aloo Hing Jeera | Potatoes with Cumin

ingredients

250g potatoes, cooked until al-dente (just undercooked) and peeled

1 Tblspn ghee

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 pinch asafoetida

1 tspn coriander powder

0.25 tspn turmeric powder

pinch or two of sea salt

0.5 tspn Indian chilli powder

1 tspn amchoor powder

1 Tblspn coriander leaves, chopped

method

Cut the cooked and peeled potatoes into cubes or chunks.

Heat the ghee in a kadhai or medium frying pan/saute pan. Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida and coriander powder. Saute until the cumin seeds turn golden brown.

Add the potatoes and fry for 2 – 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and amchoor and mix well.

Add 0.25 cup water and simmer until it is evaporated. Now add another 1 cup water and simmer over low heat for 10 – 15 minutes until it thickens into a gravy.

Place in a serving dish, garnish with coriander leaves, and serve with kachoris or puris.

recipe notes and alternatives

Just a note about the gravy. When you add the cup of water, it is tempting to think that it will never thicken into a gravy. But never fear, it will. It uses the potato starch to thicken somewhere between 10 and 15 mins of low simmering. And the gravy is delicious!