Aloo Masala (Spiced Potatoes) Recipe (2024)

What is urad dal (split black gram)? Is it a lentil or spice?

I'm pretty sure this is urad dal, AKA black dal, that is used in dal makhani. I also suspect that if you can't find it you could probably sub green (French) lentils.

Do yourself a favor and drizzle a spoon of ghee over this dish at the end!

it's a small split dried bean also known as white lentils. Available in Indian markets or online.

I'm assuming you're asking for a substitute for the urad dal? It's alright to forgo that completely tbh, its for texture and a slight nutty flavor. Add black (not yellow!) mustard seeds instead, if you have them or just increase the amount of cumin seeds.

I wanted to cook this as soon as I saw the recipe, but couldn’t convince myself to brave the Covid-19 crowds at our grocery. Even with on-hand ingredients (green lentils, ground cumin, ground mustard, roasted pecans, cayenne pepper as substitutes for the listed ingredients), this was so very good. Next time, I’ll make sure to have the preferred ingredients, which I am certain will produce more intensely flavorful results.

I would add 7 -8 fresh curry leaves to the spices when frying them. It really gives the authentic south indian smell and flavor! Enjoy!

Salting the boiling water before adding the potatoes is very important.Pro tip: save some of the potato water to add at the end of the recipe. The starch and salt will help create a nice sauce.

It's almost not fair for me to comment on this, I made so many substitutions. Amazingly, it was delicious anyways! Since we all are dealing with the Covid19 pandemic limiting ingredient, this may be helpful. I used all dried, ground spices (cumin, mustard, chile powder, ginger). I added a spice mix from my Indian grocer "urad dal masala" (basically a curry powder) in place of "urad dal." My cilantro was sad (wilted & a small amount), so I added fresh parsley too. A very forgiving & tasty dish!

Very nice. I made without black gram and added cooked peas towards the end. Very tasty.

I made this last night. Didn’t have the little black lentils so left them out. I too used mustard seed and peanuts, and white and red potatoes bc it’s what I had on hand. The lemon juice on the servings at the end is a must. This was fantastic; I’ll be cooking Indian more often!

So, I love to cook but have zero experience cooking Indian food. I tried this one while here in quarantine so I'm limited to dried orange lentils that have been in a jar in my pantry forever, cumin powder and mustard seed powder. You gasp and typically, so would I but hey, it's quarantine days so it's okay to make such sacrifices. I even had to substitute a jalapeno for the green finger chile! Anyway, long story short, the potatoes totally worked! Delicious! Thank you!

Curious: "What is urad dal (split black gram)? Is it a lentil or spice?"It is tiny black lentils. I had to ask myself at an Indian grocery store a few years ago so I could try making dal makhani (one of my favorite Indian dishes--and I am not a vegetarian). If you are fortunate enough to have an Indian grocery store near you, ask for assistance finding it. In my experience, besides being very helpful explaining things [including other, Indian, fellow shoppers] I discovered the vegetables sold

You could skip it entirely - its a garnish at the end (I'm not a fan of adding cilantro in such dishes during the cooking process - it changes the taste and takes away the freshness of the herb) which enhances the flavor of the final dish but omitting it does not take away anything from one who does not like cilantro.

Delicious. I had whole urad and split mung beans (moong dal) and opted for the latter. The smaller the legume the better, but they add a nice crunch to the dish along with the roasted cashews. Two chilis and extra ginger was appreciated by husband. I only had russett potatoes and they were fine. Don't forget the lemon at the end. I did, but saving it for leftovers tomorrow.

I always double the spices in Indian dishes on this app— otherwise they have no flavor. This one really popped with the extra spice.

Hi all,A few variations I learned from my parents:1. You can also add in chana dal in addition with the urad dal. Gives it a nice texture2. Add in curry leaves after you add in the dal and mustard/cumin seeds (generally at an Indian store)3. You can sub in cashews for peanuts or omit together 4. You can also add in peas at the end.

I have made 2-3 other recipes for aloo masala, and this one has the most complexity of flavor and umami satisfaction. I had whole urad dal, so broke it up in a food processor and then smashed it up a bit more with a mortar and pestle. Urad dal can be whole black (retains the skin), split, or white (no skin). The potatoes needed at least 1/2+ cup of water, and I felt the potatoes benefited from an additional Tbsp or oil/ghee at the end.

Good, but I would do more onion (and red and hot peppers), and use some butter when adding the potatoes. The potatoes need to boil longer and really will be better quite overcooked. I omitted the dal and the cashews, and used coriander seed since I had neither mustard seed nor cliantro

The raw dal is weird if you ask me. I’d cook it or leave it out. I feel like I’m going to break a tooth! I can’t serve this to anyone for sure. Other than that the recipe is spot on.

I thought this was just ok. The crunchiness of the dal and mustard seeds was a bit much for my teeth.

Add a little asafoetida at the end of the frying spices sequence!

Wow. Love this. Crazy easy, and delicious. If you're having trouble with the spices or dal, find your local Indian grocer. They'll have the various types of Dal. Urad Dal is actually white - it's the black lentils that have been split from the skin. Once you fry them, they're crispy and a really delightful counterpoint to the potatoes. I also recommend looking at "The Indian Cookery Course" by Monisha Bharadwaj if you want a really good resource for authentic Indian cooking.

Need to make more-

Used red potatoes, extra chilis, omitted urad dal and cashews. Added water to the pan near the end a couple of times and covered to steam the seasoned potatoes instead of boiling them at the beginning. So good.

Thank you great recipe. I used this as the base for Aloo Gobi as I had just harvested the last of the cauliflower. I first cut, fried and slightly charred the cauliflower florets to give them a smoky flavour. These were added after the potato was mixed and smashed in to the spices, onion etc. Before serving I picked & fried fresh curry leaves along with dried red chilli and garlic pieces and poured these over the top of the dish. Very satisfying.

Found out the hard way not to substitute normal brown lentils for the urad dal. They came out so hard we were afraid we'd break a tooth. Just leave them out or add extra cashews to replace the crunch.

Wow, absolutely delicious! I was worried about the uncooked urad daal, but it just gave it an additional nuttiness.

I skipped the water and turned up the heat to get crispy bits, finished with chaat masala

I love this dish! I made it two days ago and then wanted more so made it again. Where I live I cannot get urad dal (I live in the Yukon) so I skipped it and increased the cumin and mustard seeds. For oil I mixed avocado oil and ghee. I did not have a hot pepper so I added cayenne which added nice heat without altering the flavor. Cooking the potatoes for a long time was important to get the delicious mashed effect. Instead of cilantro I added kasoori menthi. Paired with coconut rice.