Potato Fry, or Aloo Fry, is a simple Indian dish with potatoes, spices, and herbs. This stir-fried potato recipe pairs perfectly with rice, or chapati and is ready within 30 minutes. Easy, vegan and gluten-free!
I am sharing how to make the perfect crispy, non-sticky spiced potato stir-fry with step-by-step pictures and a video.
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Potato fry is one of my favorite sabji (side dish). I can eat the whole bowl of these stir-fried potatoes. They are so delicious!
This quick and easy potato fry recipe is my mom's recipe and I am so excited to share it with you all!
It's made with simple ingredients and spices and can be used in many ways! My favorite way is to serve it with Varan bhaat or Dal rice, with a pickle and salad.
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What is Potato Fry?
Potato fry is a popular Indian dish with potatoes, spices, and herbs. Aloo is the Hindi name for potatoes so this dish is also called Aloo fry.
In Indian cuisine, stir-fried dishes are called 'fry', hence the potato fry. Despite its name, it doesn't involve deep frying; the potatoes are typically sautéed or stir-fried until golden brown and crispy.
This is a Maharshtrian-style aloo fry recipe, where potato cubes are tempered with mustard, cumin (jeera), and curry leaves and then seasoned with a blend of Indian spices such as turmeric, coriander, and chili powder.
The potatoes are cooked until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. I dont use any onion or garlic for this recipe.
It is a simple yet flavorful dish that pairs well with roti, rice (like curd rice, dal rice, or sambar rice), or as a filling for sandwiches and wraps.
Recipe Ingredients
Potatoes - are the main ingredient of this recipe. Choose firm potatoes like regular Indian potatoes, Yukon Gold (yellow potatoes), russet potatoes, or red potatoes. Peel and cut them into small cubes or slices. Keep immersed in water until ready to use to avoid browning.
Spices - you need just the basic ones used regularly in Indian cooking like mustard seeds, cumin seeds for tempering, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt to flavor the potatoes.
Herbs - I've used two types of herbs for this recipe, curry leaves which provide fresh flavor to the recipe, and last but not least cilantro for garnish. You can skip curry leaves if they are not available.
Lemon juice - I like my aloo fry slightly tangy so I add some lemon juice too. It helps balance all flavors and bring the dish together. You can use amchur powder instead or skip it if you don't like it tangy.
Oil- I use avocado oil but you can use any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point. You can also use ghee.
Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements of ingredients.
How To Make Potato Fry (Stepwise Photos)
1- Wash the potatoes and peel them.
2 - Cut each into bite-size pieces about 1-inch cubes. To cut into cubes - Cut each potato into 4 thick slices and then for each slice make 4 vertical cuts followed by horizontal ones to make small cubes (See the video).
3 - Add them to a bowl of water until ready to use. This prevents them from browning.
4 - Drain the water completely from the potatoes. Rinse once and keep ready.
5 - Heat oil in a heavy thick-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them pop.
6 - Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves and stir to combine.
7 - Add the drained and rinsed potatoes to the hot pan. Be careful as the water may cause oil to splash a little. Mix until well combined.
8 - Add turmeric, and salt and mix again. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
9 - For crispy aloo fry, keep stirring and fry the potatoes without covering until fork tender. For softer potatoes, turn the heat low, cover, and cook till potatoes are cooked (fork tender). Remove the lid and cook on one side longer to crisp them up.
10 - Add red chili powder, and coriander powder and mix well. Add a tablespoon of water so the spice powders coat the potatoes well and dont burn.
11 - Add garam masala, lemon juice, and fresh cilantro for a final touch. Turn off the heat. Give it one final toss and the potato fry is ready to serve!
Serving Suggestions
Potato fry is best served hot and crispy. Serve immediately for the best taste and texture.
You can serve aloo fry as a side dish with roti, and paratha or with rice dishes like Dal rice, sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice, or pulao.
It also tastes delicious as a filling for sandwiches, burgers, and wraps. I often make a grilled sandwich with green chutney, stir fry potatoes, and cheese for the kid's lunch box.
Enjoy this aloo fry as potato hash with your scrambled eggs or omelet. It's delicious!
Variations
South Indian Potato Fry - add 1 teaspoon urad dal with mustard seeds and curry leaves to the tempering. You can also add 1 teaspoon of sambar powder for more flavor.
North Indian style potato fry - Add ½ teaspoon amchur powder, and 1 tablespoon of crushed Kasuri methi at the end with cilantro.
Onion potato fry - add 1 small onion thinly sliced. Saute until golden before adding potatoes for added sweetness and flavor.
Spicy Potatp fry - Add extra red chilli powder or chopped green chilies for a spicier version.
Sweet Potato Fry - Use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes for a healthier and sweeter version of potato fry.
Garlic - Add 2 crushed garlic cloves with curry leaves for a garlicky flavor.
Recipe Tips
Cut the potatoes into uniform-sized pieces for even cooking. You can cut them into smaller cubes or thin slices to speed up the cooking time.
Keep the potatoes immersed in water to get rid of excess starch. This prevents them from sticking to each other and the pan while frying.
Keeping them in water also prevents them from browning. You can prep the potatoes in advance and keep them immersed in water.
Use a well-seasoned cast iron pan or kadhai for best results.
Dont overcrowd the pan. This will help the potatoes cook evenly and become crispy.
Adjust the amount of spices according to your taste preference. Dont add too much since it will dry out the aloo fry.
You can add more red chili powder if you like it spicy. Use pav bhaji masala or sambar masala for more flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make crispy potato fry, ensure the potatoes are cut into uniform-sized pieces and saute them stirring intermittently without covering until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Use a cast iron pan for that perfect crispy potato fry.
Potato fry is best served hot and crispy, but you can make it before and reheat it on the stovetop before serving.
Ensure the pan is hot before adding the potatoes, and don't overcrowd the pan. Keep stirring intermittently and use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
Store leftover aloo fry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving.
More Potato Recipes
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Recipe Card
Potato Fry (Aloo Fry)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes (500 grams)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds rai
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds zeera
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida hing
- 10-12 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
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Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut each into bite-size pieces about 1-inch cubes.
- Add the potato cubes to a bowl of water and keep immersed until ready to use. This prevents them from browning.
- Just before making the potato fry recipe, drain the water completely from the potatoes. Rinse once.
Making Potato fry
- Heat oil in a heavy thick-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves and stir to combine.
- Add the drained and rinsed potatoes to the hot pan. Be careful as the water may cause oil to splash a little. Mix until the potatoes are well coated with oil.
- Add turmeric, and salt and mix again. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
- For crispy aloo fry - keep stirring and fry the potatoes without covering until fork tender.
- For soft potatoes - turn the heat low, cover, and cook till potatoes are soft and cooked (fork tender). Remove the lid and cook on one side longer to crisp them up.
- Add red chili powder, and coriander powder and mix well. Add a tablespoon of water so the spice powders coat the potatoes well and to prevent the spices from burning.
- Add garam masala and fry for a minute or two.
- For final touch add lemon juice, and fresh cilantro for a final touch. Turn off the heat. Give it one final toss and the potato fry is ready to serve!
- Serve warm with rice, dal rice, sambar rice, curd rice. enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on Jan 23, 2014, but was republished with, step-by-step instructions, new photos, tips, and a video in May 2024.
Sony P says
Tempting stir fry !!
Sangeetha Priya says
tempting potato fry!!!
Ramya Manja says
Wow drooling pics...Very yummy recipe....
Sanoli Ghosh says
Yummy and delicious potato fry. Best goes with chapathi.