Poori bhaji recipe With step by step photos – this is the Maharashtrian version of potato curry with pooris. A vegan dish.
This is a dry potato sabzi served with pooris and sometimes accompanied with onion slices, lemon wedges and coconut chutney. The puri bhaji is also served with dal, rice, raita or salad/Koshimbir in a thali.
This poori bhaji is very different from the Punjabi Aloo poori that I make. A classic example of the variety & diversity of Indian cuisine using the humble potato and Indian spices-herbs.
On this day, when I made the poori bhaji, I also made a Maharashtrian style moong dal, rice and had some pickled carrots-beet (from the Carrot-beet kanji –Â A North Indian fermented drink) to go along. Simple, easy and comforting meal.
The recipe of poori bhaji was requested by a senior citizen reader of the blog. I had to post the recipe as I had got an email twice requesting for this bhaji.
The batata bhaji as we call in marathi, can also be served with chapatis or dosa, if you don’t want to have pooris. this is my mom’s recipe and its one delicious poori bhaji.
The next day, I served the bhaji with plain dosa (made from Idli rava/cream of rice) and coconut chutney for breakfast. This bhaji makes a good side dish too.
In this post, I have just mentioned how to make the bhaji and linked the Poori recipe to my earlier post. Many of us know how to make pooris and I did not want a too lengthy post… As already the step by step photos make the post long.
How to make poori bhaji
1. First boil the potatoes till they are completely cooked and let them cool. You can cook the potatoes in a steamer or pressure cooker.
2. Peel and chop them. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan on a low flame. Add the mustard, cumin and urad dal.
4. They all will begin to cook together. The mustard will crackle, the cumin will sizzle and the urad dal will brown. Fry on a low flame.
5. Immediately add onions and stir. Don’t allow the above spices to get burned or over fry, as then the bhaji would have bitter tones.
6. When the onions soften, add the green chilies and ginger. stir and fry for a minute on a low flame.
7. Add curry leaves. stir and fry for a few seconds.
8. Add the turmeric, asafoetida and stir.
9. Now add the potatoes and half of the coriander leaves. Stir.
10. Add ¾ cup water, salt & stir.
11. Cover the pan and let the potatoes simmer for 5-6 minutes on a low flame.
12. The bhaji is ready to be served with pooris.
Serve bhaji hot with Poori or rotis, garnished with the remaining coriander leaves.
Few more breakfast recipes for you!
poori bhaji
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized potatoes (aloo or batata)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green chili, chopped
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1.5 teaspoon black gram (urad dal)
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ½ to ¾ cup chopped coriander leaves or cilantro leaves
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 12-15 curry leaves
- 2 or 3 tablespoon peanut oil or sunflower oil
- salt as required
Instructions
boiling potatoes (batata)
- Boil the potatoes till they are cooked completely.
- Once they are warm, peel them and chop.
making bhaji
- In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin, mustard and urad dal.
- Fry till the mustard crackles and starts making sound and the urad dal begins to turn brown.
- Add the chopped onion. Fry till they become soft & transparent.
- Now add the ginger and green chilies. Fry for a minute.
- Add the curry leaves. Stir and fry for some seconds.
- Add the turmeric and asafoetida. Stir and fry for some seconds. Don't burn the turmeric.
- Next, add the chopped potatoes, half of the coriander leaves.
- Stir. Now add 3/4 water and salt. Stir and cover the pan.
- Let the bhaji simmer for 5-6 minutes on a low flame.
- There should be some moisture in the bhaji and it should not be very dry.
- Add the remaining coriander leaves.
- Stir and serve the bhaji hot with pooris, chapatis or dosa.
U hve amazing delicious cooking skills..
thanks manisha
Could you replace half the potatoes with cauliflower (& cook the cauliflower a bit less) if you wanted to?
of course. you can add cauliflower. in fact you can even add some green peas and carrots if you want. cauliflower can be cooked less if you want it that way.
Hi Dassana
Thank you very much for ur recipes..it really helped me a lot..I have tried sabudana vada, upma n puri bhaji..it was amazing
thanks, veena for sharing these positive reviews on the recipes you have tried. welcome and happy cooking.
Hi dassana. For how many whistles should we pressure cook the potatoes? Because if it gets too soft we can’t chop it.
susan, pressure cook for 2 whistles.
Love your app
You are amazing!’ Xxxxxxx
thanks neeerali for positive views 🙂
Hi Dassana
Love your recipes always. When I feel like trying new recipes; I always visit your website first. Keep up the good work! Thanks Abhi
pleased to know this thankyou for your kind and encouraging words 🙂
If Thinking abt some new veg dishes to cook, i never start without visiting ur blog…so simple receipes…i tried many of ur receipes…. its time for this recipe now.. turned really awesome.. thanks… 🙂
thank you devjani. feels good to know and also thanks for sharing your feedback on poori bhaji recipe.
I like it
please give new recipes dassana
I’ve tried to make batata bhaji Maharashtrian style from ages, but it never quite came out right. Tried your recipe yesterday and was thrilled! Same taste, aroma, everything. Thank you!
welcome muriella. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Thank you so much. I tried it step by step as explained and It has come out awesome. I I have learnt this for my wife. Thank you so much.
welcome edward. good to know this.
your food is great, no doubts. but your pictures are so beautiful and raw, not made up or accessorized. i’m new at cooking, so i constantly wonder how you manage to capture every single step of a method, so nicely, while cooking the recipe.
how do you do it?
thanks mansi. i just click the pic with the camera. thats it. there’s nothing more to it, besides getting a good light.
Added green peas as well. Tastes Yum!
thanks greeshma
Hi there, I love trying all kinds of indian veggie recipes, can I ask how do you actually eat this? May sound like silly question, but is there a particular wau of eaing this, i meanwhat to do with the poori? Stuff it with potato? or poor the sauce over rice? 🙂 just asking 🙂
🙂 katerina. you have tear the poori with your hands and take a small piece. place the a bite of the bhaji on the poori piece and have. in india, when they serve hot pooris, we first poke the poori and the steam is let out. then tear it. take a piece of the poori and place it on the bowl of the bhaji. and then pinch of the bhaji in the poori with our fingers and then eat it 🙂
thnx 🙂 I made pooris the day before yesterday following your recipe and they turned out really well 🙂
thanks katerina
Love ur receipe, it simple yet yummy and easy and fast to make.good job
thanks sharl
I LOVE Indian potato dishes. Thanks for sharing!
wow picture perfect platter.. can grab a few now!!
Love poori at any time.I love the way u have given a nice combo tour plate.That dal looks so creamy and yumm too.Love the click so nice.
loved the puffed up pooris! Aloo bhaji also looks tempting. 🙂
Love the pictures…I am making this for breakfast tomorrow…
Just done with my lunch and here this Poori bhaji has left me drooling for more!
looks spectacular ! esp the items around the bajji tempting me more !
The crystal clear picture of puri bhaji on a plate reminds me of a meal i had in iskcon temple long back. Very tempting & just divine!!
absolutely LOVE the pictures in this post 🙂
Very tempting poori bhajji. Love the way u made it
My favorite dish. I make it so often for my daughter as a great after school snack. your poori bhaji looks amazing!