Potato Curry Recipe
This flavor-packed potato curry is a really easy recipe you can prepare and serve in 30 minutes or less. It’s a well-seasoned vegetarian meal made with authentic, aromatic Indian ingredients and bulked up with additional vegetables: tomatoes, onions, and spicy green chiles.
This potato curry recipe is the perfect dish for anyone adhering to a vegetarian diet, who wants a filling meal but doesn’t have a lot of time to make one, or who loves curry but doesn’t have a lot of experience making it at home. It was also one of the first recipes I tried from my friend Dan, over at The Curry Guy and it’s in his cookbook The Curry Guy Bible.
It’s so simple to make! And it’s a real hearty dish full of energy- and nutrient-rich potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and chiles. All of these vegetables are simmered in mouthwatering, aromatic Indian herbs and spices, including chili powder, asafoetida, turmeric, and cumin.
Actually, it’s very similar to my chickpea and potato curry recipe or these spicy potatoes known as Aloo Masala! This one has a little less protein but has more spice. And, another great vegetable curry with spice and a lot of rich, thick gravy is my gobi masala — give it a try!
Table of Contents
Serve this dish with seasoned rice or warm, chewy naan or crispy dosa.
To Peel or Not to Peel
The original recipe I adapted from my friend Dan has the potatoes boiled, then cooled down enough to peel. I myself found it a pain to peel them, but with any new recipe, I always follow directions and go from there! Since then, I have made these without peeling the little golden potatoes as the skins are so thin. It’s up to you!
(Be sure to check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities)
- Potatoes – I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes for potato curry — I explain why in the FAQ section below!
- Vegetables – Additional flavor, texture, and bulk in my potato curry recipe comes from two tomatoes and one red onion. Feel free to use any onion of your choice, and dice these vegetables well.
- Ghee – You can also use regular butter or vegetable oil instead.
- Green Chiles – Dice either a Serrano (sort of hot) or Thai green chili (moderately hot) to add some heat to your potato curry.
- Fresh Ginger – Finely mince 1 inch of fresh ginger. Substitute with 1 ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Herbs & Spices – A smattering of common Indian herbs and spices, including curry leaves, turmeric — a must in any potato curry recipe — whole mustard and cumin seeds, and a few less common items:
- Asafoetida – This powdered spice gives a strong aroma and smooth, umami flavor to Indian recipes. You can prepare a homemade substitute with ¼ teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder.
- Ground Chili Powder – We’re not looking for run-of-the-mill American chili powder! It is made solely of ground red chilis and labeled chili powder ground Indian spice — or some variation of this.
- Soften the Potatoes. Boil water in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the Aromatics. Lower the heat to medium-high and melt the ghee in the same saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook for just a minute, until they pop. Add the asafoetida and curry leaves and stir for one minute. Now, add the diced onion and stir-fry for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add Remaining Seasonings. Add the tomatoes, ginger, green chiles, ground turmeric, and chili powder to the saucepan and salt to taste. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Cook Down the Potatoes. Break up the softened potatoes in your hands and toss them into the saucepan. Stir to coat the potatoes in the sauce, cover the pan, and cook for a final 5 minutes.
- Serve. Top potato curry with a sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro and enjoy!
Recommended Tools
- Large Saucepan – Choose a large, all-purpose pan that you can use to seamlessly switch from boiling to stir-frying to simmering. And make sure it has a lid!
Storing and Reheating
This potato curry, and most vegetable curries without a cream base, lasts a good while in the refrigerator — up to 5 days! It’s great for making in bulk to reheat for quick dinners and lunches throughout the week.
To reheat, return to the saucepan and warm on medium until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
Yes, it is recommended to first soften the potatoes by boiling them for 15 minutes until just over the edge into tender. This is so you don’t over-stew the tomatoes, onions, and other ingredients while you wait for the potatoes to soften in the pan.
Use a waxy, starchy potato that can hold up to simmering in the sauce.
Yukon Golds are perfect, Russets are great, and red-skinned spuds will do the job in potato curry just fine. Use whichever is in season for the truly best flavor!
That’s really up to you. I keep the skins on. Not only does this add texture, but most of the nutrients in vegetables are in their skins — discarding them removes most of the vegetable’s health benefits! Truth be told I don’t have the patience to peel the smaller, thin skinned varieties.
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Potato Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
- 3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (See Note 1)
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger minced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 2 small green chiles (See Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground chili powder (See Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over high heat, add potatoes to boiling water and cook until just tender, 15 minutes, drain and set aside to cool.
- In same pot or deep skillet, heat ghee/oil over medium high heat. Cook mustard and cumin seeds until they pop, 1 minute. Add the asafoetida and curry leaves and cook 1 minute. Next add the onion, fry for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the tomatoes, ginger, chiles, turmeric, chili powder and salt. cooking 3 minutes.
- Add the potatoes by breaking them up in your hand, toss to coat potatoes and cook, covered for 5 minutes.
- Serve with chopped cilantro on top.
Notes
- A substitute can be 1/4 teaspoon onion powder plus 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Can either use serrano or Thai green chiles, diced.
- This is NOT American Chili Powder. It is just ground red chilies, labeled Chilli Powder (Mirchi) Ground Indian Spice.
- Recipe adapted from Dan, The Curry Guy in his book, The Curry Guy Bible.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
deliciosa receta , muy pronto la cocinare para mi familia . Muchas gracias .
So glad you and the family enjoyed this one Guillermo. 🙂