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Batata Bhaji is a delicious potato dish cooked with green chilis, onion, ginger, and lots of Indian spices. It’s not too saucy, more like a dry sabji. It is then served along with poori, roti or chapati or even simple varan bhat (dal-rice)
This bhaji, served with pooris or rotis, is a fantastic breakfast option. You can also pack it in tiffins for school or outings. I have wonderful memories of this combo. My mom often prepared this sabji for our school lunches, and it always made my friends jealous when they spotted it in my tiffin.
Also, whenever we went to my grandma’s place, my mom used to pack batatyachi bhaji with poori everytime we went. The excitement of meeting my grandma and my cousins on the country side coupled with this delicious lunch are still fond memories of my family.
This batatyachi bhaji poori is a bit different from the aloo poori you might find in North India. Aloo poori tends to be more like a soupy curry with onion-tomato gravy, while batatyachi bhaji is a dry curry infused with turmeric and other spices, also known as sabji. That’s the beauty of Indian cuisine! Even with the same ingredients, you can create different versions that taste completely different with just a little variation.
This dish is so versatile. If you have leftover of this bhaji, you can accompany it with dosa and chutney for a hearty breakfast. Alternatively you can also mash it and stuff it in dough to make Aloo Paratha.
Ingredients
Boiled potatoes, oil, onion, green chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing (asafoetida), curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, lime juice, fresh coriander leaves for garnish.
Instructions
Prepping potatoes:
- Start by washing the potatoes well under running water.
- Next, boil the potatoes until they are fully cooked and tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork or knife. You have the option to cook the potatoes using a stovetop either in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pressure cooker, or an Instant Pot.
- Once the potatoes are cooked and either warm or cooled down, peel them and chop them into pieces.
Making Batatyachi Bhaji:
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them splutter.
- Next, add hing and green chilies and let them cook for 30 seconds.
- Once done, its time to add chopped onions. Saute on medium to high heat till they are soft.
- Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes till the raw smell goes away.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well to combine everything together.
- Now, add the boiled and cubed potatoes and give it a good mix.
- Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
- Next, cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium to low heat. This will help the flavors to infuse the potatoes.
Garnish and serve:
- Once done, switch off the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and lime juice.
- Serve the batatyachi bhaji along with poori, roti or simple dal chawal.
Serving suggestions
- Batatyachi Bhaji also pairs wonderfully with steamed rice or Indian breads like chapati or roti. You can also enjoy it as a side dish alongside your favorite Indian curry. For a complete meal, serve with a side of dal (lentil curry) and a cooling cucumber raita.
- This Batatyachi Bhaji can also be served with dosa and sambar to make a complete South Indian meal.
- It can also be mashed and stuffed in dough to make Aloo Paratha. Similarly, you can also stuff it in a puff pastry sheet to make an excellent tea- time snack-Aloo Puff.
- Another serving idea is to make a Bombay Masala Sandwich for breakfast or as a afternoon tea-snack. Just stuff it in between 2 slices of sandwich bread along with onion, tomatoes and mint chutney and toast it on the pan with butter.
Tips and Tricks
- To cook the potatoes faster poke holes in the potatoes before dropping them for boiling.
- To give it a nutty flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of urad dal along with mustard seeds and let them brown. This gives a nice South Indian touch to the dish.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.
Meal Prep Tip
- If you’re thinking of preparing this bhaji ahead of time, it’s a good idea to boil and peel the potatoes first. Once boiled, let them cool down before peeling. Then, store them in an airtight container.
- Whenever you’re ready to cook, simply take out the potatoes and chop them as needed. This way, you’ll have prepped potatoes ready to go whenever you want to whip up a batch of delicious bhaji.
FAQs
Q: Can I use other vegetables in this recipe?
A: While Batatyachi Bhaji traditionally features potatoes, you can experiment with adding other vegetables like peas or carrots for variation.
Q: Is this dish vegan?
A: Yes, this dish is vegan and requires ingredients derived from plant sources.
Q: How spicy is this dish?
A: The level of spiciness can be adjusted to your preference. You can increase or decrease the amount of green chilies and red chili powder accordingly.
Q: Can I customize the spices in this recipe?
A: Absolutely! Feel free to adjust the spice levels according to your taste preferences. You can add more or less chili powder, or even experiment with other spices like garam masala or goda masala for a different flavor profile
Batatyachi Bhaji | Aloo dry sabji
Ingredients
For Boiling potatoes:
- 4 medium-sized potatoes
- water
For making batatyachi bhaji:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon hing asafoetida
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 green chilies slit lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- Salt to taste
For garnish:
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
Prepping potatoes:
- Start by washing the potatoes well under running water.
- Next, boil the potatoes until they are fully cooked and tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork or knife. You have the option to cook the potatoes using a stovetop either in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pressure cooker, or an Instant Pot.
- Once the potatoes are cooked and either warm or cooled down, peel them and chop them into pieces.
Making Batatyachi Bhaji:
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them splutter.
- Next, add hing and green chilies and let them cook for 30 seconds.
- Once done, its time to add chopped onions. Saute on medium to high heat till they are soft.
- Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes till the raw smell goes away.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well to combine everything together.
- Now, add the boiled and cubed potatoes and give it a good mix.
- Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
- Next, cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium to low heat. This will help the flavors to infuse the potatoes.
Garnish and serve:
- Once done, switch off the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and lime juice.
- Serve the batatyachi bhaji along with poori, roti or simple dal chawal.
Notes
- Batatyachi Bhaji pairs wonderfully with steamed rice or Indian breads like chapati or roti. You can also enjoy it as a side dish alongside your favorite Indian curry. For a complete meal, serve with a side of dal (lentil curry) and a cooling cucumber raita.
- This Batatyachi Bhaji can also be served with dosa and sambar to make a complete South Indian meal.
- It can also be mashed and stuffed in dough to make aloo paratha. Similarly, you can also stuff it in a puff pastry sheet to make an excellent tea- time snack-Aloo Puff.
- Another serving idea is to make a Bombay Masala Sandwich for breakfast or as a afternoon tea-snack. Just stuff it in between 2 slices of sandwich bread along with onion, tomatoes and mint chutney and toast it on the pan with butter.
- To cook the potatoes faster poke holes in the potatoes before dropping them for boiling.
- To give it a nutty flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of urad dal along with mustard seeds and let them brown. This gives a nice South Indian touch to the dish.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.
- If you’re thinking of preparing this bhaji ahead of time, it’s a good idea to boil and peel the potatoes first. Once boiled, let them cool down before peeling. Then, store them in an airtight container.
- Whenever you’re ready to cook, simply take out the potatoes and chop them as needed. This way, you’ll have prepped potatoes ready to go whenever you want to whip up a batch of delicious bhaji.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @amusingcooker on Instagram and hashtag it #amusingcooker.