Potato fry is easy enough to make flavorful, savory and delicious dish of sauteed potatoes a.k.a aloo. This is a North Indian style recipe of potatoes sauteed with bold fragrant spices. It is also a vegan recipe made without onion and garlic. Also known as aloo fry, this dish makes for an excellent side dish with any North Indian main course meal.
My potato fry recipe is one of those dishes that you can easily prepare for a quick lunch or dinner option. The recipe is super simple to prepare that any novice cook can make it easily.
The recipe comes in handy when you don’t have any other veggie other than potatoes in your pantry and want to cook a quick yet tasty dish.
The dish has the North Indian flavors in it. I do add some dry mango powder (amchur powder) for a slight tang. You can skip if you want and can also add some lemon juice.
A tip I highly recommend is to use a well-seasoned pan, so that the potatoes do not stick. I usually soak the potatoes in water to get rid of extra starch. But you can skip this step, if you have less time on hand.
Serve it as a side dish with chapati, bread or dal-rice or sambar-rice. You can also pack it in tiffin box with roti or plain paratha or whole wheat bread.
You can also stuff it in sandwiches or wraps or make sliders. If I have any leftover potato fry then I make grilled sandwiches with it or have them with toasted bread.
How to make Potato Fry
1. Rinse the potatoes in fresh water. Then peel and chop potatoes in 2 cm cubes or 1 inch cubes. Ensure that the potatoes are chopped in almost the same size so that they cook evenly.
Place them in a bowl of water for 20 to 30 minutes. The potatoes should be completely immersed in the water.
Soaking potatoes in water helps to get rid of some of the starch. But if you have less time on hand then you can skip this step.
Note: There are many varieties of potatoes that will work nicely in this recipe. Regular Indian potatoes, baby potatoes, red skinned potatoes, Yukon gold (yellow potatoes), and russet potatoes are all suitable option for this dish.
2. Heat a heavy thick bottomed pan or cast iron skillet or a heavy kadai. Add 2 tablespoons oil. For a slight pungent taste you can use mustard oil. I have used peanut oil. If using mustard oil, then heat till the mustard oil starts smoking.
3. Keep the heat to low to medium-low. Now drain the water from the potatoes and add them to the pan. Take care as the oil may splutter due to the moisture in the potatoes. Or you can wipe the potatoes dry before adding them to the oil.
4. Mix them very well with the oil and spread them evenly in the pan.
5. Keep on stirring after a few minutes and overall saute for 7 to 8 minutes, till the potatoes are half cooked on a low to medium-low flame.
6. Then add the following spices:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or paprika)
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
- salt as per taste.
7. Mix the ground spice powders very well with the potatoes.
8. Spread the potatoes evenly in the pan.
9. Continue to stir often and cook till the potatoes are lightly crisp, softened and tender. At each stir, change the position of potatoes so that they get crisp evenly from all sides.
10. Lastly add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder). Swap dry mango powder with ½ teaspoon lemon juice for some brightness and tang.
11. Mix very well and then switch off the heat.
12. Serve potato fry with roti or as a side dish with dal-rice or sambar-rice combo. You can garnish with some chopped coriander leaves if you want.
It can also be packed for a lunch box with a side of roti, paratha, bread or dinner rolls. These sauteed potatoes also make for an excellent filling in a sandwich, wrap or slider. You can choose to add your favorite toppings and veggies while making the sandwiches or wraps.
More Potato recipes
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Potato Fry (Aloo Fry)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups potato cubes or 285 grams potatoes or 3 medium potatoes – cut in 2 cm cubes
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing) – optional
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) or add as required
- salt as required
- some coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnish – optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse the potatoes in fresh water. Then peel and chop them in 2 cm cubes or 1 inch cubes. Make sure that all potato cubes are chopped in even size.
- Place them in a bowl of water for 20 to 30 minutes. The potatoes should be completely immersed in the water. This is an optional step and helps to remove some starch from the potatoes.
Making potato fry
- Heat a heavy thick bottomed pan or cast iron skillet or kadai. Add 2 tablespoons oil. For a slight pungent taste you can use mustard oil. I have used peanut oil. If using mustard oil, then heat till the mustard oil starts smoking.
- Now drain the water from the potatoes and then add them carefully as the oil can splutter because of the moisture on the potatoes. Alternatively you can dry the potatoes before adding them to the oil.
- Mix them very well with the oil and spread them evenly in the pan.
- Keep on stirring after a few minutes and overall saute for 7 to 8 minutes, till the potatoes are half cooked on a low to medium-low flame.
- Then add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, a pinch of asafoetida (optional) and salt as per taste.
- Mix the spice powders very well with the potatoes.
- Spread them evenly in the pan. Continue to stir often and cook till the potatoes are tender, softened and slightly crispy. At each stir, change the position of potatoes so that they get crisp evenly from all sides.
- Lastly add garam masala powder and dry mango powder (amchur powder). Instead of dry mango powder, you can also add lemon juice for some brightness and tang.
- Mix very well and then switch off the flame.
- Serve potato fry with roti or plain paratha or as a side dish with dal-rice or sambar-rice. You can also pack it in a lunch box with roti or plain paratha or bread slices. It can also be stuffed between bread slices and had as an evening snack with a cup of tea.
Video
Notes
- You can add less or more of the spice powders as per your requirements. For a spicy taste add more Kashmiri red chili powder.
- There are many varieties of potatoes that will work nicely in this recipe. Regular Indian potatoes, baby potatoes, Yukon gold (yellow potatoes), russet potatoes and red skinned potatoes are all suitable options for this dish.
- Lemon juice can be added instead of dry mango powder.
- You can also add dry pomegranate powder (anardana powder) instead of amchur powder.
- Mustard oil also can be used.
- Use a well-seasoned pan, so that the potatoes do not stick.
- To make the dish gluten-free skip adding asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This Potato Fry recipe post from the archives (first published in January 2017) has been republished and updated on 18 June 2021.
This is a very tasty recipe, loved it, thank you Ma’am for sharing it.
Glad to know Sneha and thanks for sharing your feedback. Welcome.
Made it for dinner last night..it was super yummy..though I added cumin and whole dried red chilies before adding the potato cubes. will definitely make it again and again..thanks a ton.
Welcome Anusuya. Glad to know this.
Damn i loved it, simple and tasty
Will again make it when relatives will come for get together
thanks sam for your positive feedback.
The aloo fry was delicious and I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks.?
Welcome David