Pahadi Aloo Paani is a comforting, spicy, soupy aloo ki sabzi from Uttarakhand without without onion, garlic, tomato, or ginger.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Aloo Paani
- Pahadi Aloo Paani Recipe
Pahadi Aloo Paani is a delicious sattvic style potato curry without onion or garlic from Uttarakhand state in India. Curries such as this aloo paani illustrates how the best of local and seasonal produce like potato can be transformed into a comforting meal.
The hilly ranges of Kumaon are well known for a specific variety of potato – Pahadi Aloo. There is a hint of sweetness in these potatoes, perfect to make aloo ke gutke or aloo paani.
Adding freshly crushed whole spices to the aloo paani is my great grandmother’s trick, who was an excellent cook. In her kitchen, aloo paani was always slow cooked on a wood fire in a cast iron kadhai.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potato should be peeled and smashed. Avoid chopping them with a knife. Smashed potatoes give a rustic appeal to the curry. That’s why it is also known as aloo ki thechwani in many places.
- Spice Paste: Cinnamon, Clove, Black Cardamom, Garlic (optional, but we love), coriander steams/stalks
- Spice Powders: Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Asafoetida, Turmeric
- Key Flavouring Agents: Mustard Oil, Green Chillies, Fresh Coriander Leaves
- Salt, Water, Cumin, Fenugreek Seeds (methi dana)
How To Make Aloo Paani
- Peel, wash, and smash the potatoes in a mortar and pestle to break them into uneven pieces. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same mortar and pestle, add cinnamon, black cardamom, cloves, garlic, coriander stems and make a fine paste.
- Heat oil, once it starts smoking, add cumin, asafoetida, and fenugreek seeds. Saute for a 20 – 30 seconds.
- Add smashed potatoes and fry them for a minute or till potatoes become golden from the edges.
- Add whole spice paste, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, water, and salt. Mix nicely.
- Cover and cook over low heat till potatoes are cooked and gravy is slightly thick. Gently mash the potatoes with the back of the ladle.
- Before serving, add sliced green chillies, and chopped coriander leaves.
The Pahadi style aloo paani is best enjoyed with basmati rice and lai ki sabzi . On certain festive occasions, you can serve it with poori and raita for an elaborate Kumaoni style thali meal.
More Kumaoni Recipes
- Pahadi Mooli Ki Kadhi
- Pahadi Chainsa Bhaat
- Kumaoni Style Vada
- Pahadi Gahat Ki Dal
- Pahadi Lai Ki Sabzi
- Pahadi Badi Bhaat
Ingredients
- ▢ 3 – 4 medium-size potato
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 – 2 green chili slited
- ▢ 2 tablespoon mustard oil
Ingredients to grind
- ▢ half inch piece of cinnamon (dal chini)
- ▢ 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- ▢ 2 cloves laung
- ▢ 2 garlic cloves
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ▢ 4 – 5 coriander stalks
Instructions
- Start with grinding the whole spices in mortar and pestle to a coarse powder. You can do the same in mixer as well but I stick to mortar and pestle for making spice powders in small quantity.
- Next peel the potatoes, wash and pat dry them with a kitchen towel. Cut each potato into equal halves.
- Place one potato piece in between the kitchen towel and smash it with a rolling pin. The idea is to break the potato into uneven chunks. Similarly, smash the remaining potato pieces. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a cast iron kadhai over high flame. Once the mustard oil starts fuming, reduce the flame to low.
- Add cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida. Stir for few seconds. Add coriander powder, green chili, stir and then add potato chunks.
- Fry the potato chunks for 3 – 5 minutes stirring occasionally in between.
- Next add turmeric powder, red chili powder, spice paste, and salt. Stir to mix. Fry the potato for 3 – 5 more minutes.
- Add 2 Cup of water, cover the skillet with a lid and let the curry simmer over low heat. Aloo Paani as the name suggest is a watery curry so don’t hesitate while adding water.
- After 15 minutes, open the lid and check potato for doneness. If potatoes are bit uncooked from the centre simmer the curry covered for few more minutes. If potato are cooked through, gently mash them with the back of the ladle.
- Simmer the curry for 10 more minutes uncovered over low heat. Add chopped coriander and green chilli.
- Serve Aloo Paani with Poori or rice for lunch/dinner.
Recipe Notes:
- For an authentic flavor it is highly recommended to use mustard oil for cooking aloo paani.
- If you don’t want to crush whole spices, add a teaspoon of garam masala powder .
- The curry has a thin and watery consistency. Hence, once potato are cooked, stop cooking the curry.
- Many recipes suggest adding jumbu or jhakhiya ka tadka, it is completely optional like adding garlic.
Nutrition
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Pahadi Aloo Paani Recipe
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 medium-size potato
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 - 2 green chili slited
- 2 tablespoon mustard oil
Ingredients to grind
- half inch piece of cinnamon (dal chini)
- 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 2 cloves laung
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 - 5 coriander stalks
Instructions
- Start with grinding the whole spices in mortar and pestle to a coarse powder. You can do the same in mixer as well but I stick to mortar and pestle for making spice powders in small quantity.
- Next peel the potatoes, wash and pat dry them with a kitchen towel. Cut each potato into equal halves.
- Place one potato piece in between the kitchen towel and smash it with a rolling pin. The idea is to break the potato into uneven chunks. Similarly, smash the remaining potato pieces. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a cast iron kadhai over high flame. Once the mustard oil starts fuming, reduce the flame to low.
- Add cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida. Stir for few seconds. Add coriander powder, green chili, stir and then add potato chunks.
- Fry the potato chunks for 3 - 5 minutes stirring occasionally in between.
- Next add turmeric powder, red chili powder, spice paste, and salt. Stir to mix. Fry the potato for 3 - 5 more minutes.
- Add 2 Cup of water, cover the skillet with a lid and let the curry simmer over low heat. Aloo Paani as the name suggest is a watery curry so don’t hesitate while adding water.
- After 15 minutes, open the lid and check potato for doneness. If potatoes are bit uncooked from the centre simmer the curry covered for few more minutes. If potato are cooked through, gently mash them with the back of the ladle.
- Simmer the curry for 10 more minutes uncovered over low heat. Add chopped coriander and green chilli.
- Serve Aloo Paani with Poori or rice for lunch/dinner.
Video
Notes
- For an authentic flavor it is highly recommended to use mustard oil for cooking aloo paani.
- If you don’t want to crush whole spices, add a teaspoon of garam masala powder .
- The curry has a thin and watery consistency. Hence, once potato are cooked, stop cooking the curry.
- Many recipes suggest adding jumbu or jhakhiya ka tadka, it is completely optional like adding garlic.
Nutrition
This aloo bonda is the perfect teatime snack for a potato lover like me. It has the comfort of a traditional aloo bonda with a cheesy makeover.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
- My Tried and True Tips
- Watch Aloo Bonda Video
- Aloo Bonda Recipe
Aloo Bonda is a popular snack from the streets of Mumbai and South India. It is a potato cutlet stuffed with cheese, covered in a thick chickpea batter and fried to golden perfection. In many parts of India, this is also known as Batata Vada or Aloo Bhajji.
If you live in India, you’re probably no stranger to this dish and would’ve often seen several pushcarts and chaat stalls selling aloo bonda drizzled with tantalizing chutney. It is one of the most popular street food.
The cheese loaded aloo batata vada pairs well with mint chutney , tomato ketchup , or even coconut chutney . Serve bonda with a cup of tea or coffee as a teatime snack. It can be enjoyed as a hearty Indian breakfast sandwiched between pav.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that cheese makes most recipes better. There’s something about that creamy, cheesy, gooey feeling that cheese adds to a dish that takes it from meh to wow.
My Tried and True Tips
- Batter Not Runny. Ensure the gram flour batter to dip potato balls is thick and creamy and not to watery. Otherwise it will not stick to the potato balls.
- Grate Potatoes. Always grate the boiled potatoes instead of mashing them. Trust me, it makes a lot of difference to the texture of aloo bonda.
- Hard Cheese like mozzarella that has a stringy consistency is perfect for this bonda recipe. If you are in India, then any variety of processed pizza cheese is good.
- Oil Temperature: Make sure oil is nicely heated before deep frying the bonda. Once ready to fry, dip the balls in the batter and fry till golden brown and crisp.
Watch Aloo Bonda Video
More Teatime Snacks
- Crispy Smashed Potato
- Potato Cheese Balls
- Cheese Rava Cutlet
- Aloo Bread Roll
- Aloo Tikki Chaat
- Sabudana Vada
- Medu Vada
Ingredients
For Bonda Stuffing:
- ▢ 5 potato, boiled and peeled
- ▢ 1 Cup fine chopped onion
- ▢ 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- ▢ 5 – 6 curry leaves
- ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped coriander
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- ▢ 8 small cubes of cheese
For Bonda Batter:
- ▢ 1 Cup gram flour (besan)
- ▢ ¼ Cup rice flour (chawal ka atta)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ Water to make batter
Other Ingredients:
- ▢ Oil to deep fry
Instructions
How To Make Bonda Stuffing:
- Heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai.
- Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and grated ginger. Fry for 1 – 2 seconds or till seeds start spluttering.
- Add chopped onion and fry the onion for 1 – 2 minute.
- Next, add the boiled potatoes and mash them nicely to avoid any lumps.
- Add salt, spices, coriander and mix nicely. Turn off the heat. Transfer potato stiffing to a bowl.
How To Shape Aloo Bonda:
- Grease your palm with a teaspoon of oil.
- Take a lemon size portion of the potato mixture. Shape it into a round, gently flatten using your fingers, place one cheese square in the center, seal it with the potato filling and once again shape it into a ball.
- Similarly, shape the rest of the cheese aloo bonda.
How To Prepare Bonda Batter:
- In a mixing bowl, combine gram flour, rice flour, salt, and spices.
- Using little water at a time, make a thick and smooth batter. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
How To Make Aloo Bonda:
- Heat oil for deep-frying in a pan over medium-high flame.
- Dip one potato ball in the gram flour batter and coat it evenly with the batter.
- Gently slide the aloo bonda in the hot oil. Deep-fry till crisp and golden from all the sides.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Similarly, fry all the all bonda in small batches.
- Serve aloo bonda piping hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.
Nutrition
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