Aloo Bhujia Sabzi made the way it’s made in Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. This simple potato stir-fry is made in mustard oil and uses minimal spices.
One of my goals this year for the blog is to share more recipes that I grew up eating.I tend to ignore them, thinking who would want to read about them.
But last year I shared making aloo bhujia on my Instagram stories and so many reached out to me to share the recipe.So, I thought it was about time I started sharing recipes which my mom made on a regular basis.
Aloo Bhujia (that’s what we call aloo ki sabzi in eastern Uttar Pradesh where I am from) was one constant thing in my lunch box.I can say this with confidence that out of 365 days in a year, mom would give me aloo bhujia with plain paratha for lunch for at least 300 days.
Fast forward to many years, now I love it for it’s simplicity. Give me dal, roti and aloo bhujia everyday and I would eat it without complaining.
Ingredients2 large potatoes around 500-600 grams, sliced lengthwise
3-3.5 tablespoons mustard oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 whole dried red chilies broken
6-7 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
2 medium red onion thinly sliced
3/4-1 teaspoon turmeric adjust to taste, I used 1 teaspoon
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
squeeze of lemon juice optional
Method* Peel the potatoes and then wash them. Cut them into thick rounds and then cut each round lengthwise like you would cut for a french fry, around 1/2 inch wide. See picture above in the post.
* Heat mustard oil until it's smoking hot (very important so that the final dish doesn't have that raw oil taste), then lower the heat and add the cumin seeds. They will immediately sizzle.
* Add the dried red chilies and garlic and cook for a minute until garlic starts changing color.
* Add the sliced onion and potatoes and mix.
* Then add in the turmeric. I used 1 full teaspoon turmeric, you can use half of it but this recipes does need more turmeric. Toss to combine everything together.
* Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often on medium heat. Then add the salt and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes until potatoes are cooked through. You may cover the potatoes for the last 5 minutes or so.
* Your potatoes are done when they are nicely charred and roasted brown.
* Squeeze in lemon juice if you like. Serve aloo bhujia with rice and dal or plain paratha.