Nepali Aloo – Crispy Spiced Garlic Vinegar Potatoes (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free)

Nepali aloo – crispy potatoes in a fragrant, spiced, ginger, garlic, vinegar sauce – is a super easy and flavorful side dish. They also make a delicious snack! This post was originally published on April 3, 2009.

This is a recipe from when my husband and I first moved to Seattle after getting married. My maasi (that’s my auntie), visited us. At that time, we were living a very bachelor kind of life, not cooking much at home, but maasi wanted to eat at home, so she made a bunch of dishes and taught me how to make them, too. One of these was these Nepali potatoes (Nepali aloo- potatoes from the country of Nepal ), and they were so delicious and super easy!

I don’t know where she got the recipe from, and there are a couple of different variations online. My Maasi makes it with frying boiled potatoWa. she first fries some boiled potatoes (shallow fry). Then she fries some ginger, garlic, and green chilies, and then makes a tarka: the spice oil with mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Then she mixes the potatoes ginger garlic chilies with all of the tempering along with a little bit of vinegar for tang. They make the best potatoes you’ve ever had!! The spices, ginger and garlic, vinegar all work amazingly with crisp potatoes.

I change it up a bit to reduce the cooking steps. This is my simplified version of Nepali aloo. You cook the potatoes in a skillet, so you don’t need to use a second pot boiling them. I also reduced the oil, so that you have just enough to cook the whole spices, ginger, garlic, and green chili. Then, combine the crisped up potatoes with this spice oil mixture, add the vinegar, cook that for a bit, and that’s it.

It turns out really great if you use sliced potatoes that are not too thick, because they cook quickly and have more surface area to crisp up. Yellow potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes work best, but you can use any other potatoes, as well.

Why You’ll Love Nepali Potatoes

• super easy, 1-pan, 30-minute side dish
• crisp-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside potatoes in a delicious sauce
• so many amazing flavor from whole spices and aromatics and vinegar!
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Ingredients and Substitutions

• potatoes – Yellow/Yukon Gold potatoes are the best to use for Nepali potatoes, but you can use any peeled and sliced potatoes you like. You can also use peeled baby potatoes, if they are less than 1″ in size.
• whole spices – brown or black mustard seeds and cumin seeds are the base for the tempering.
• aromatics – julienned ginger, garlic, and green chilies add so much flavor! Make sure that you slice them thinly, like in the image below.
• turmeric and salt – For color and flavor.
• white vinegar – For tang. You can use rice vinegar, if you prefer.

How to Make Nepali potatoes

Peel and cube the potatoes, if you haven’t already. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, spread the oil on the pan, then add the potatoes and spread them evenly in the pan, so they don/t overlap. Let them sit undisturbed for a minute or two, then mix and flip. Cover the skillet with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

Open the lid, flip the potatoes, and then cover again, and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until they are cooked to your preference. Stir once in between and even them out, so they’re not overlapping too much. The potatoes will crisp on the edges but stay soft in the middle. Depending on your stove, you may need to turn the heat up to medium to cook them faster. If you’re using baby potatoes, add 1/4 cup of water before covering with the lid and cooking for 10 to 15 minutes until they are cooked through. Remove the potatoes from the skillet and set them aside.

In the same skillet, add the remaining teaspoon of oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Cook until the mustard seeds start to pop or at least change color/lighten a bit and sizzle rapidly. The cumin seeds should become fragrant and darken significantly. Depending on your stove and skillet, the mustard seeds may not pop, but they should still lighten in color and become aromatic.

Reduce the heat to low and allow the skillet to cool slightly for a few seconds. Then, add the julienned ginger, garlic, green chilies and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well and cook over low heat until the garlic turns golden and is fully cooked. Add a teaspoon of oil if needed to cook the aromatics

Add in the crisped potatoes along with the turmeric, salt, and vinegar. Mix really well, tossing well to coat. Let the mixture cook for about a minute to cook the strong flavor of vinegar a little bit. Taste and adjust the salt and flavor, then switch off the heat.

What to Serve with Nepali Potatoes

Serve these potatoes hot with a side of dal and some plain rice or Indo Chinese fried rice. You can garnish with cilantro, but I also like them as-is.