This aloo methi is salty, spicy, savory and full of flavor!
You will love this super simple recipe for aloo methi. You can have it on your plate in literally 10 minutes, and most of that time is spent hands-off. This is why I love my instant pot because I can make fabulous food in a fraction of the time it’d normally take.
This recipe for Punjabi aloo methi is so tasty! It has a chatpata (tangy) flavor thanks to the dried mango powder (amchur) and the black salt (kala namak). Serve this side dish with Indian flatbread like roti or naan, and you will be in for such a treat!
Aloo methi is a dry vegetable dish featuring potatoes and fenugreek leaves. My recipe calls for dried fenugreek leaves, also known as kasoori methi, easily found at your local Indian grocery store or online. In fact, you may already have this ingredient if you’ve tried my popular butter chicken recipe. Just a pinch of this stuff transforms butter chicken into a restaurant-quality dish. It’s magical. Well, this recipe for aloo methi features kasoori methi as the main ingredient, so there is quite a bit of it in the recipe! If you love the flavor of kasoori methi, then you will love this dish for aloo methi!
My mom recently threw an Easter party for my son while my husband and I were out of town for a wedding. At the party, she served lemon rice and chicken bhuna, and she also served this aloo methi. We weren’t at the party, but we got to enjoy her aloo methi when we came back home after a long day of travel, and oh my goodness, it was love at first bite!
I told her I HAD to have the recipe to share on my blog with you. It was the tastiest aloo methi I’ve ever had! Unfortunately, those of us with Indian parents know that they never measure ingredients…. like, ever. I was determined to recreate my mama’s fabulous aloo methi, so I set out to experiment with a list of the ingredients in hand. And I did it! This is as good as my mama’s aloo methi, and I consider that a huge success.
I love about aloo methi because it’s so easy to make, especially when you have my onion masala prepared. Having masala ready to go makes this dish an almost dump and go recipe. I say almost because you still have to brown the cumin seeds and mustard seeds in hot oil for the best flavor.
If you’re not familiar with my Indian Onion Masala Series, then you have to check it out! As part of the series, I share recipes that call for exact amounts of onion masala.
Click on the graphic below to find out how to make onion masala, how to store it, and to find other recipes that call for it.
If you’ve never used black salt before, you’re in for a surprise. When you add it to the instant pot, you might be like whoa – this stuff smells strong. It is pungent – cooking the black salt will remove some of that sulfurous odor. My husband doesn’t like black salt on its own, but he loves this aloo methi. I personally love black salt (I used to sprinkle it into my coca-cola as a kid lol… anyone else do that?). Anyway, my point is – the sulfurous smell will definitely mellow out once the dish is done.
Serve this aloo methi with a saucy curry (like the goat curry pictured below) or dal and a side of Indian flatbread like chapati/roti or naan. Then definitely come back here and leave me a comment letting me know what you think! 🙂
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 ½ pounds unpeeled baby potatoes, cut in half
Spices
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste*
- 1 teaspoon amchur dried mango powder
- 1 teaspoon kala namak (black salt) black salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ cup frozen or thawed onion masala
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
Instructions
- Press sauté and add oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the cumin begins to brown, add the potatoes and spices and mix well.
- Add the onion masala and water to the pot.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- Quick release pressure.
- Add the dried fenugreek leaves to the pot and mix well. The leaves will absorb any remaining liquid in the pot.
Notes
- *This dish is meant to be salty (due to the salt and black salt). The salt balances the bitterness from the methi. Feel free to adjust the salt to your taste.
- If you don’t have baby potatoes, you can just chop potatoes into 1-inch pieces.
- I typically buy baby potatoes from trader joe’s but they should have them at most grocery stores.
- This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
Lani says
Made this on the stovetop and substituted lemon juice at the end for the mango powder. Sooooooo good, wow. I absolutely love the flavor profile of fenugreek and this was a lovely and easy way to make herbed potatoes.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Lani, I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this!:)
Nidhi says
Hi Ashley,
I tried making this recipe today and it turned out just awesome. My husband loved it too.
You have explained the steps very well. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I am now going to try and make chocolate fudge using your recipe for my daughters 😊 Thank you once again.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Nidhi, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for the kind words 🙂 Let me know what you think of the fudge – I hope your daughters enjoy it!
Kiran says
This is now one of my husbands favourite potato curries. We’ve made it a few times and planning to try it with fresh methi next time to see how it turns out. Really tasty. Thank you for sharing.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Kiran, I’m so glad you and your husband like this so much! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Meher Makda says
Hi Ashley, if one doesn’t make the onion masala beforehand, would you be able to say how much to add of each of the items that go in the onion masala? Thank you!
Chris says
OMG – amazing recipe!
Have made this recipe a few times now and always turns out!
I don’t have a instant pot (we call them pressure cookers in Australia) but I just add a little more water when the water level gets low. I slow cook through for about 30 mins (or at least when the potato is done).
Absolutely love your pre-made onion masala, I will now try your corn dish with it!
Thank you for your vision on Indian food. I have cooked Indian for ages but I love this new method of cooking it!
Cheers from Melbourne, Australia.
Chris.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Chris! I’m so glad you liked the aloo methi 🙂 I hope you love the corn kadai too!