Name: Quick Aloo Pyaz Sabzi (Potato Fry)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Oil; 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera); 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder; 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (Paprika); 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder; 1 teaspoon Amchoor Powder ((Raw Mango Powder)); 1 teaspoon Salt; 4 Potatoes (medium (sliced into 1/6th inch slices)); 3 Onions (medium (sliced into 1/6th inch slices))

My quick aloo pyaz sabzi recipe never fails! It’s pretty much a dump and cook kinda recipe and I’m showing you three simple variations for it – original aloo pyaz, aloo capsicum and aloo palak

Hey there! Lately, we’ve been running a series called ‘MFS Back to Basics‘ where we are covering super simple recipes that are perfect for those who don’t cook very often. And after how to make soft rotis, how to make amazing dal fry, three simple mug recipes, I have for you today a super quick aloo pyaz sabzi or I like to call it the Bachelor Potato Fry.

This recipe can be used as a base for any sabzi or Indian vegetable you’d like to make. A lot of Indian stir fries start like this. This recipe doesn’t have any garlic or ginger; neither does it have a long list of ingredients. But trust me when I say that its full of flavour.

Prepping Potatoes and Onions

The most time consuming part in this recipe is prepping the potatoes and onions and here are a few tips. Firstly, for this dish to cook fast, its important that you cut your veggies into small pieces or thin slices. This will help it cook fast and that’s how this dish is cooked in about 20 minutes. I like to slice them by hand, but a really fast way is to slice your potatoes and onions with a mandoline into 1/6th inch slices. My mandoline has a setting where I can adjust how thick or thin I want the slices to be, and it makes really fast work of the prepping process

Spices

The spices are important here because they add all the flavour. I’ve used cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder and amchoor (raw mango powder). Now I understand that amchoor may be a little hard to find, so you can skip it, but it does add a nice tang. If you don’t have these spices you can use a generic curry powder. Do not confuse curry powder with garam masala, which is way more potent, and only garam masala in this recipe will just taste bad. In fact I prefer not to use any garam masala in this recipe, because that flavour is too strong.

Two variations: Aloo Capsicum and Aloo Palak

I’ve also included two simple variations in the recipe video – for aloo capsicum and aloo palak which can be easily done when using this recipe as a base. You can also add methi (fresh fenugreek leaves) to make aloo methi. Or add cauliflower right in the beginning with potatoes to make aloo gobi. However, with aloo gobi, I’d recommend adding a few more ingredients, and you can follow my recipe for aloo gobi that I already have on the website.

For Aloo Capsicum: For aloo capsicum, about 15 minutes into the cooking process (when the potato is 90% cooked), add thinly sliced capsicum to the pan along with 1/4th teaspoon salt, and a tablespoon of water. Mix and let this cook for 5 minutes or till the capsicum is tender but not mushy.

For Aloo Palak: For aloo palak, about 15 minutes into the cooking process (when the potato is 90% cooked), add roughly chopped spinach to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Mix and let this cook for 3-4 minutes till the spinach wilts.

And that’s really how simple all three recipes are. Watch the video below and you’ll see how easy this is. And remember to experiment a little bit, add what you have in the fridge, play around with the flavours you like to make this your own.