Pudina Aloo ( Potato Mint Curry)

Refreshing mint, tangy yogurt and potatoes, all simmered into a uniquely tasting curry! The mint and yogurt makes the curry taste light and the sour from the yogurt balances wonderfully with the carb. Pudina Aloo ( Potato Mint Curry) has a nice smack (chatpata as we say in Hindi) and uplifts your palate instantly. We like to pair this curry with poori (fried Indian mini bread) but you can also enjoy it with Indian flat bread (roti) or paratha. It’s a great weeknight meal and gets ready in about 15 to 20minutes. This dish is also sometimes known as Chutney wale Aloo, translating to potato with chutney.

I learnt making this dish from my Mother in Law, way back in 2011. Prior to that I have always used mint only in the form of chutney or in drinks. So this idea to add it potato and make a curry sounded very interesting to me. Even though I was not much into cooking, the curry did come out very effortlessly. I remember mentioning it to one of my friend about this dish, almost instantly after dinner. She made it and still makes it.

How to make this Pudina Aloo ( Potato Mint Curry)

There are very few ingredients required to make this delicious Pudina Aloo | Potato with Mint Curry

• Bite size potatoes are boiled until fork tender. You don’t want it to get too mushy.
• Fresh mint, fresh coriander and ginger is grind along with little water.
• The boiled potatoes are sautéed in some mild spices before adding the mint and coriander puree.
• Finally little amount of plain yogurt is added to make consistency creamy.

In terms of heat I add whole fresh green chili, mainly for flavor but you can finely blend the chili along with the herb.

I like to keep this curry semi gravy but if you intend to serve with rice then definitely add more water.

Do keep in mind that depending on how fresh the cilantro and mint are, the blend will look green and even on cooking for a while the color will retain. But as it sit, the color does turn to mild brown and it’s absolutely ok. It will still taste delicious.

Make this Pudina Aloo ( Potato Mint Curry) as an appetizer:

I sure do always prepare this for main course, but you can give it a fun little twist and make Pudina Aloo | Potato with Mint Curry for an appetizer to go with the drinks.

• Pick baby potatoes
• Skip the water and reduce the quantity of yogurt. Let the herb puree and the spices quote the potato.
• Serve in a big platter along with your choice of drinks. I do feel this dish, as an appetizer will go amazing with beer.

What variety of Potato should you use?

Well, In India I don’t see a multiple variety of potatoes. So whatever you find in your local grocery store will work great. In US, there are quite a few options to pick from. I would say Yukon gold are the best pick for this Pudina Aloo | Potato with Mint Curry. Definitely avoid red potatoes for this curry as it can get gluey on boiling and get turn the curry mushy.

What Spices are added in the Pudina Aloo ( Potato Mint Curry)

I like to keep Pudina Aloo | Potato with Mint Curry very mildly spiced but you can surely add more spices to add extra heat.

• Cumin seed and powder: Cumin works wonderfully with potatoes, so it goes in both as a whole at the beginning in hot oil and ground cumin is added later in the curry
• Turmeric: For it’s pure goodness, but can easily be avoided.
• Asafoetida: Asafoetida/Hing adds a lovely pungent flavor to the curry and is often a great replacement for garlic.
• Dry Mango Powder: A hint of dry mango powder gives a delicate acidic taste to the curry. If you cannot find this powder, you can use little bit of lemon zest instead.
• Garam Masala Powder: A very tiny amount of garam masala powder goes at the end of the cooking for warmth and earthy flavor.

Now, weather you make it as a curry for main course or serve it as an appetizer, this is a fun dish to try and I hope you do. It’s easy, it’s simple and it’s quite quick. Perfect weeknight meal!

Here are few more everyday Indian Curries to try:

Achari Gobi (Cauliflower In Pickled Sauce)

Badami Paneer (Paneer In Almond Gravy)

Badami Lauki Kofta (Bottle Gourd Dumpling in Almond Curry)

Pudina Aloo (potato with mint curry)

Yield: 4 people

Refreshing mint, tangy yogurt and potatoes, all simmered into a uniquely tasting curry! The mint and yogurt makes the curry taste light and the sour from the yogurt balances wonderfully with the carb. 

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Ingredients

• 1 lb/ 500 g potatoes
• 4.25 oz/ 120 g fresh mint
• 1.75 oz/ 49 g fresh cilantro
• 1 and ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 3 green chili
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon salt to be added during boiling the potatoes
• 1 teaspoon added later in the curry

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes with 1 tablespoon salt just until fork tender. Drain and once cooled, peel and dice into big bite size
2. Discard the hard stems of the mint and retain the leaves. As for the cilantro I used even the stems, as it’s very tender. Place the leave along with the peeled ginger in a blender along with 2 tablepsoons yogurt and 1/3 cup water. Blend to puree. 
3. In a medium hot pan, pour the oil and scatter the cumin seeds. Add the diced boiled potatoes along with ½ teaspoon salt and the turmeric. If you want spicy curry, chop the green chili and add it or add the whole chili just for flavor Toss it gently and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour the mint cilantro puree along with the left over yogurt and toss it around. Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes. 
5. Add ½ teaspoon salt, garam masala and cook for 1 minute. 
6. Serve warm, garnish with drizzle of yogurt on top.