
Aloo ke Gutake
A classic North Indian dry curry of tender potato slices coated in pungent mustard oil, earthy cumin, and turmeric. It offers a gentle, warming heat balanced by aromatic whole spices.
Tempering spices
3.2 gFried in the hot oil (step 2)Ground spices
0.3 gAdded to the pan right before the potatoes (step 3)Everything else
Method
- Heat 40.5 g mustard oil in a heavy pan or kadhai over high heat until hot, then drop the flame to medium.
- Tip in the tempering spices and stir-fry for roughly 30 seconds until the seeds begin to crackle.
- Stir in the ground spices and immediately follow with 500 g potato, cut into slices lengthways. Toss well so the potatoes are evenly coated, then flick over a tiny drop of water just to moisten them.
- Season with salt to taste. Cover the pan with a tight lid, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 15–20 minutes until tender throughout, stirring once or twice and adding drops of water only if the potatoes begin to stick to the base.
- Scatter 2–3 g dried red chilli and 1 g chopped coriander over the potatoes and serve.
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Mustard oil

Peanut oilUse equal weight. It handles high-heat cooking well, but lacks the signature pungent, nasal heat of mustard oil.
Vegetable oilUse equal weight. Neutral in flavour, so your curry will lack the characteristic Bengali or North Indian pungent punch.

Cumin seed

Ground cuminUse 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Ground turmeric

Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Potato

EggplantUse equal weight. Cut into large chunks; cooks down much faster (10-12 minutes) and softens into the sauce rather than staying starchy and firm.
PaneerUse 80% of the weight. Cube and add in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking; adds rich dairy protein instead of starchy bulk.
Dried chickpeaUse 45% dry weight. Soak overnight and boil until fully soft before stirring into the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.

Dried red chilli

Dried kashmiri chilliUse equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.
Red chilli powderUse 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Coriander

Coriander leafUse equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.
MintUse 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.
Similar dishes

- Same: Both are dry potato dishes seasoned with cumin seeds, ground turmeric, and salt.
- Different: Aloo Methi ki Sabzi adds fresh fenugreek greens, swaps dried red chillies for green chillies, and uses neutral vegetable oil or ghee instead of mustard oil.

- Same: Assamese Spiced Potato shares with this dish a dry potato cooking style, turmeric, dried chilli, salt, and a mustard-oil option.
- Different: Assamese Spiced Potato adds red onion, panch phoron, and fresh coriander leaves, uses more potato, and may use vegetable oil instead of this dish's mustard oil, cumin seed, and coriander.

- Same: Aloo Baigan Sookha shares potato, cumin, dried red chilli, salt, and a dry-cooked style with this dish.
- Different: Aloo Baigan Sookha adds aubergine and uses vegetable oil instead of pungent mustard oil, and it lacks turmeric and coriander.

- Same: Aloo Posto is also a dry potato dish cooked with dried red chillies and salt.
- Different: Aloo Posto uses neutral vegetable oil and coats fried potatoes in a thick poppy seed paste, omitting the mustard oil, cumin seeds, and turmeric used in this dish.














