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! 🙂
Instant Pot Aloo Methi (Potatoes with Fenugreek Leaves)
Instant Pot Aloo Methi (Potatoes with Fenugreek Leaves)
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
- 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!
jayesh says
I have to say. This is better than my mom’s Aloo Methi. This is my favorite pot luck recipe now.
I just changed one thing. I used pot in pot, and added 2 cups of water in the main pot. I wasn’t sure 1/2 cup of water would build enough pressure.
My Heart Beets says
Jayesh, I’m so glad you like the aloo methi so much! Also, great to know it worked well PIP – did you make the tadka in step 1 on the stovetop and pour it on top of the aloo? Curious to know 🙂
Jayesh says
I made this again with the reccomended amount of water. I doubled the recipe though. It turned out fine. I was being silly last time.
I didn’t have dried methi. I used double the amount of fresh methi, and pressure cooked it with the potato for 2 minutes. I was afraid that the potatoes will get mashed, but it turned out good.
I can’t wait for coronavirus to go away, so I can feed this to all my coworkers and neighbors
My Heart Beets says
Great to hear it worked out 🙂 Thanks, Jayesh!
jayesh says
Ive posted a picture on reddit, if are interested in how it turned out. I put a link to your recipe
https://www.reddit.com/r/instantpot/comments/ks0d9y/im_an_aloo_methi_addict/
My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome – thank you for sharing there! The aloo methi looks great 🙂
Julie says
I love this dish so much! So easy, and so delicious. I parboil the potatoes first because mine are never done in the 4 mins. I use a full cup of onion masala because I like it with a bit more sauce. I then also double the black salt and amchur which really gives a huge amount of that chatpata flavor! I really don’t make potatoes any other way now.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Julie! I’m happy to hear that you like the aloo methi so much 🙂
Vidya says
These potatoes are delectable! I had some russet potatoes to use up and this was PERFECT! The amchur powder is EVERYTHING!
Have you ever tried this recipe as an oven roasted aloo method? I think I’m going to attempt that. It would be convenient when I want to make something else in the IP at the same time.
Thanks!!!!
My Heart Beets says
Vidya, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this! I haven’t tried it in the oven – please let me know how that goes!
Navigator12 says
Can I use fresh methi leaves? That’s all I have on hand.
Gore says
I was a bit unsure about this recipe, with the large amount of fenugreek and the strange sounding black salt. But I have to say – it’s one of my favourite things I’ve made from your website. It’s so tasty! I made it as a side dish for a curry, but I think I could happily eat a big plateful of this just on its own!
My Heart Beets says
Gore, haha thanks for trusting me enough to make this lol! I’m so happy to hear that you liked it 🙂
Peggy says
The black salt came as large chunks in my Indian spice store. I had the grate it. I guess I could have hammered a rock and pulverized it. Does it ever come as small flakes?
The recipe is cooking now. Can’t wait to try it!
My Heart Beets says
Peggy, oh man – I’ve actually only seen this powdered form. Here’s a link – it may be a good idea to get this online: https://amzn.to/2BLsIBI
Angelica says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Angelica, really happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how much you like the aloo methi!
Angelia says
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I am making this again with a vegetarian meal, can you suggest what veggie dish will go good with this? Thank you!
Toni says
I followed the directions but the first time I tried it, my instant pot did not build up enough pressure to cook the potatoes. I added another 1/2 cup of water and cooked for another 4 minutes. That did the trick!