
Bedmi Aloo
A home-style potato curry with a golden turmeric gravy, whole-spice warmth and a sour lift from dried mango powder. The potatoes are tender and the sauce is lightly spicy.
Whole spices for the ghee
2.4 gAdded to the hot ghee (step 3)Ground spices for the sauce
6 gStirred in after the ginger-chilli paste (step 5)Finishing spice
3 gStirred in at the end (step 11)Everything else
Method
- Blend 10 g ginger root and 4 g green bird's-eye chilli to a rough paste; set aside.
- Warm 26.4 g ghee in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Add the whole spices for the ghee and stir for a few seconds until they crackle.
- Stir in the ginger-chilli paste and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the ground spices for the sauce and stir for a few seconds.
- Add 15.6 g tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add 700 g new potato and turn gently for 1–2 minutes so they are coated.
- Pour in 596 g water, add 0.3 g granulated sugar and salt to taste.
- Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Press a few potatoes with the back of a spoon to thicken the liquid.
- Stir in the finishing spice and chopped coriander to taste, then turn off the heat.
- Serve with puris, raita and pickle.
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Fresh ginger

Ginger pasteUse equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.
Ground gingerUse 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Green bird's eye chilli

Bird's eye green chilliUse the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.
Green chilliUse 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.
Fresh green chilliUse 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

Ghee

Unsalted butterUse 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oilUse 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oilUse equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

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.

Asafoetida

Garlic powderUse double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.
Garlic pasteUse 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Kashmiri chilli powder

Dried kashmiri chilliGrind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.
Red chilli powderUse 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.
Chilli powderUse one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.

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.

Ground coriander

Coriander seedsDry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.
Ground cuminUse 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.
Garam masalaUse 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.

Tomato purée

TomatoUse 200% to 250% of the weight. Finely grate or blend fresh tomatoes, then cook them down until the moisture evaporates and the oil separates.

New potato

Baby potatoesUse the same weight. Scrub and leave whole or halve if large; they cook in about the same time and give a similar waxy bite.
Small potatoUse the same weight. Peel only if the recipe needs it; cut to the size of new potatoes so they cook evenly. The flesh is slightly more floury.
PotatoUse the same weight, cut into even walnut-sized pieces. It may break down a little more in long cooking, thickening the gravy.

Water

StockUse the same weight in savoury dishes; it adds body, so adjust salt.
MilkUse the same weight only in doughs or creamy dishes; it makes the result richer.
Coconut waterUse the same weight in curries or rice; it adds sweetness and a faint coconut taste.

Granulated sugar

JaggeryUse equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Amchoor powder

Ground dried mango powderUse the same weight; same sour mango flavour. Add early so it can soften into the dish.
Dried mango powderGrind to a powder and use the same weight. Slightly coarser unless finely ground.
Lemon juiceUse 5–6 times the weight, e.g. 1 tsp powder to about 5 tsp juice; add off the heat. Wetter and fresher-tasting.

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 new-potato curries tempered with cumin and asafoetida and spiced with Kashmiri chilli, turmeric, ginger and green chilli.
- Different: Lucknowi Khatte Aloo uses vegetable oil instead of ghee, anardana powder instead of dried mango powder, adds coriander leaf, omits tomato purée, and uses much less water.

- Same: Tandoori Shimla Mirch shares potatoes, bird's-eye chilli, cumin, asafoetida, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander and dried mango powder with this dish.
- Different: It stuffs green bell peppers with crushed potato and grills them using vegetable oil, while this dish simmers new potatoes in a ghee- and tomato-based gravy with water.

- Same: Maharashtrian Batatachi Bhaaji shares potatoes, turmeric, cumin seed, asafoetida, green bird's-eye chilli and coriander with this dish.
- Different: Maharashtrian Batatachi Bhaaji uses boiled floury potatoes, garlic, curry leaves, vegetable oil and lemon, and lacks this dish's ghee, ginger, tomato purée, dried mango powder and water-based gravy.

- Same: Heeng Jeere ke Aloo shares new potatoes, ghee, cumin seed, asafoetida, green chilli, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt with this dish.
- Different: Heeng Jeere ke Aloo is a dry curry with far more ghee and no tomato purée or water, and it uses ground dried pomegranate seed instead of dried mango powder and omits ground coriander and sugar.































