• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pakistan Eats

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Features
  • Collections
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Collections
  • Features
×

Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Mains

Aloo Sabzi (Curried Potatoes)

March 28, 2020 by pakistaneats 4 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Hello from what will arguably be the strangest time of our life. It feels weird to pop-in here to share an aloo sabzi recipe during an unprecedented crisis but here I am.

I’m writing from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the country is definitely on edge amidst the news of rising cases and the possibility of the announcement of a national emergency that will severely limit movement. Saptarshi and I had been waiting for the axe to drop in Cambodia for a while since we heard about the outbreak in China. It’s been an incredibly distressing three months, as we have seen the outbreak travel from country to country, ravaging Iran, Italy, Spain and now New York, home to my younger brother and sister. The scale of the crisis is rapidly growing in Pakistan as well where the government has refused to ban religious gatherings despite moves in neighboring Muslim countries. Given South Asia’s population density, the region is a ticking time bomb.

aloo-sabzi-angle

Earlier in January, while I was in Pakistan, I was having a conversation with my mother about resilience, and what it takes to be a resilient individual, family and unit. International development professionals talk about resilience among households and communities a lot – how do you build or enhance their ability to withstand a crisis. I have been thinking about it as an individual a lot in the last year.

Last spring, I felt my resiliency ‘reserves’ completely depleted. It took for me to leave my job, a ruthless detachment from the problems of my family and friends, a focus on food, and enormous self-reflection and rest to slowly come back to equilibrium. I still haven’t come to peace with my decision to take ‘time off’ but again, I think if I hadn’t taken those steps, I might not have been equipped to handle a crisis of this scale.

An overwhelming majority of individuals do not have the same luxuries as me – a partner with a stable income, no pressing professional pressures and pending bills, and the ability to quarantine in a comfortable environment. We are checking in with our friends and family regularly and so far, everyone is safe. We are incredibly bummed that my sister-in-law and friends have had to postpone their weddings scheduled for May. But we look forward to celebrating them when the cloud of this terrible virus is gone.  

aloo-sabzi-vertical

In the meantime, there’s lots of projects I’m working on that are keeping me busy. Some of them are a little bit more mundane like updating old recipes, such as kadhi chawal and bagara baingan; others more interesting like poring through cookbooks to look for recipes of Pakistani regional cuisines; and working on various story ideas, this time more focused on Cambodia.

Hope you are doing okay too given the circumstances. Be kind to yourself. As my younger and wiser sister recently reminded me, there is no right way to feel right now. Sending you lots of love, and an easy recipe for aloo sabzi that carried me through graduate school and likely through quarantine.

Stay safe x

aloo-sabzi-angle

Aloo Sabzi (Curried Potatoes)

An easy vegetarian main or side that is best had with poori and suji ka halwa for breakfast.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Pakistani Cuisine
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup oil canola/sunflower/vegetable
  • ½ teaspoon kalonji (nigella seeds)
  • 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced in half rings
  • 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 roma tomatoes roughly chopped
  • 3 potatoes diced
  • ½ cup cilantro finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil. Add kalonji (nigella seeds) and fry for a few seconds until they begin to pop.
  • Add chopped onion and brown on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes.
  • Add crushed ginger and garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
  • Add ground spices (turmeric, red chili and coriander powder) and fry for 30 seconds – 1 minute until aromatic. Splash with water to deglaze the pan if necessary.
  • Add tomatoes and salt. Fry on high heat to soften the tomatoes, about 5 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and coat in masala for 2 - 5 minutes.
  • Add ½ - 1 cup water, just enough to cover the potatoes, and bring to boil. Lower heat and let the masala simmer in uncovered saucepan for 10 - 15 minutes or until potatoes are done.
  • Turn off heat and gently fold in diced cilantro. Place a tight fitting lid on the saucepan and let the potatoes steam for another 5 minutes.

Notes

To prevent the potatoes from darkening while cooking, I have found that soaking the peeled and chopped potatoes in water helps. 
The dish is versatile and can be served with a wide variety of dishes. Personally, I love it with poori and suji ka halwa. 
Keyword Vegan
Tweet
Share
Pin20
Share43
63 Shares
« Sohaib's Kadhi Pakora (Yogurt Curry with Fritters)
Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan E Hirsch-Ayari

    March 28, 2020 at 6:10 pm

    I can't rate the recipe b/c I haven't tried it, but I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your current work, your amazing writing ability, and the fact that you are so open with your readership. We miss you, Maryam, but it sounds like you are exactly where you need to be doing what you need to do. These ARE strange times and resiliency never loomed larger worldwide than it does today. I'd be curious to know how your mother understood resiliency (you left that part out, lol!) Keep feeding us your thoughts, words and recipes! Sending you good thoughts and many thanks for your inspirational writing.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala) - Pakistan Eats says:
    April 3, 2020 at 2:31 am

    […] it took me this long to post a bhindi masala recipe given it’s such a sub-continent classic. Like aloo sabzi and masoor ki daal, bhindi masala is a staple in the Jillani home – the kind of dish you take for […]

    Reply
  2. Mariam's Gujarati Aloo (Spiced Potatoes) - Pakistan Eats says:
    April 17, 2020 at 2:43 am

    […] at room temperature, and draw upon a spice profile different from the one I grew up with (this aloo sabzi version is one that I was more familiar […]

    Reply
  3. Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach and Dill - Pakistan Eats says:
    March 6, 2022 at 1:58 am

    […] these Gujarati style spiced potatoes that are on the drier end. But this classic Punjabi style of aloo sabzi also […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Hi! I'm Maryam, an international educator and food writer, excited about bringing you traditional Pakistani recipes from across the country. Learn more.

Trending Recipes

  • Masoor Ki Daal (Red Lentils)
  • Palak Gosht (Mutton Curry with Spinach)
  • Beef Keema (Ground Beef)
  • Chana Chaat with Tamarind Chutney

Ramadan Recipes

  • Chana Chaat with Tamarind Chutney
  • Fruit Chaat (Fruit salad)
  • Palak Pakoray (Spinach Fritters)
  • Modern Shahi Tukray (Bread Pudding)

Reader Favorites

  • Nur's Borani Banjan (Eggplant with Yogurt)
  • Kali Mirch Chicken Karahi (Black Pepper Chicken)
  • Karela Sabzi (Bitter Melon Vegetable)
  • Masoor Ki Daal (Red Lentils)

Copyright © 2022 Pakistan Eats on the Foodie Pro Theme