Khatte Aloo are tangy, spicy potatoes cooked in a mixture of tamarind, coconut, curry leaves and whole chillies.
It's packed with SO much flavour and my favourite thing about it is it's SO quick to make if you already have boiled potatoes to hand. Literally, just 10 minutes, start to finish!
And another bonus? There's no chopping involved! No onions, no garlic, no ginger, no tomatoes! *cries in tired mum* honestly, these Khatte Aloo are SO kind to us all.
The longest thing about this entire recipe for me was reaching to the back of my spice cabinet to get hold of my coconut, whole red chillies and curry leaves - something I don't use often!
With this Khatte Aloo recipe, there are no hard and fast rules. Use the quantities listed as a base and feel free to play around with the quantities of the tamarind, chaat masala and curry leaves for the tangy element, and the chillies for the spice element.
What kind of tamarind is best for this recipe?
The best form of tamarind is the pulp which you can prepare by soaking a block of tamarind. But of course, that's not quick, and who has pre-prepared fresh tamarind pulp to hand in this economy?
A better alternative is bottled tamarind sauce, which is readily available in any grocery store with an Indian/Desi food section. Try to find one which has as high a content of tamarind as possible, and isn't too sweet.
Is there a substitute for chaat masala?
Honestly, I feel like there isn't. The chaat masala adds a really characteristic flavour and aroma to this dish and if you can't get hold of chaat masala from a store, I would recommend you try your hand at making some homemade chat masala - try googling and finding a recipe which would be possible for you to make with what spices you have to hand
How spicy are Khatte Aloo?
We don't eat very spicy food at home on a normal basis - but this dish is definitely spicier than our daily meal. If you aren't keen on spice, hold back on the chilli flakes.
Can I add anything else to this instead of potatoes?
Of course! Like I mentioned, this mixture is such a good base and you can totally use it for a variety of different things - Khatti Sabzi, Khatte Baingan, Khatti Machli, Khatti Daal anyone?
What do you serve with Khatte Aloo?
I served my Khatte Aloo with parathas and sweet yogurt - they would go wonderful with a variety of chutneys and a salad too.
Honestly, these Khatte Aloo are so so versatile and I reckon they would be fantastic as a samosa stuffing or even mashed for a paratha stuffing too. Tbh, my VERY desi-food-loving 2 year old son had these with his bare hands, so if that's not a testament to how versatile (and yummy!) these are, I don't know what is!
Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
Khatte Aloo | Khattay Aloo | Tangy Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon (60 ml) oil
- 15 curry leaves fresh or dry
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds optional
- 10 whole red chilli the small variety as shown in the pictures is preferable
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon chilli flakes can substitute with red chilli powder to taste
- 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut or coconut flakes crushed
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala or to taste
- salt to taste (start with 0.5 teaspoon and add in 0.5 teaspoon increments till it's to taste)
- 3 tablespoon tamarind sauce/pulp/paste/puree use 4 tablespoon for a stronger tangy flavour
- 1 ½ lb (700 g) potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into large chunks baby potatoes are GREAT for this, peeled and cut into large chunks
- fresh coriander and green chilli for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat the ghee/oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves and mustard seeds (if using) and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the whole red chillies, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, coconut, coriander powder and chaat masala. Fry this for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the salt and tamarind sauce/puree. You can adjust these two ingredients as per your own preference of saltiness and tanginess.
- Add in the boiled potatoes and toss them in the spices. Give them a few moments to heat through, being careful not to break or mash them using your cooking utensil. Adopting a tossing, as opposed to stirring, motion will work much better.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and green chillies before serving.
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brinacyl
Hi there. How many grams are four medium potatoes? Thank you
Sameera Iqbal
What is a good chat masala substitute?
Fatima
Ah man, honestly I don't think there is one in this case! It adds a lot of the characteristic khatta tang that's needed in this recipe! If I figure something out, I'll let you know though!