Aloo puri is one of those meals that feels like a celebration. This Aloo Puri Recipe pairs freshly fried, fluffy puris with a flavorful potato curry made with mustard oil, cumin, turmeric, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, ginger, tomatoes, coriander, and fennel.
The puris start with a firm whole-wheat dough. Kamut flour works especially well for traditional Indian breads, although any whole-wheat flour can be used. After resting, the dough is rolled into small discs and fried until each puri puffs up.
Alongside the potato curry, this recipe also includes a quick garlicky spinach made with mustard oil, garlic, shallots, and frozen spinach. The combination makes a hearty and comforting meal.
Ingredients
For the Puri Dough
- 4 cups whole-wheat flour
- About 1 cup cool water, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, optional
- Oil, for frying
Kamut flour can be used for the dough, as shown in the recipe. You can also use another whole-wheat flour you enjoy.
For the Aloo Subzi
- Mustard oil
- 2 or 3 dried red chilies
- Cumin seeds
- Turmeric
- Nigella seeds (kalonji)
- Mustard seeds
- Asafoetida (hing)
- About 2 tablespoons chunky chopped ginger
- Green chili, optional
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- Potato peels from the cooked potatoes
- 8 to 10 boiled potatoes, diced
- Water
- Cilantro, chopped
You can use vegan yogurt instead of diced tomatoes if you prefer.
For the Garlicky Spinach
- Mustard oil
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 or 3 shallots, diced
- About 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package frozen spinach
Make the Puri Dough
Start with 4 cups of whole-wheat flour.
Kamut is used in the recipe because it makes excellent traditional Indian breads such as roti, paratha, and puri. However, you can use whatever whole-wheat flour you prefer.
Add about 1 cup of cool water and begin bringing the flour together.
Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt if you like.
Continue mixing until the dough forms one firm lump.
The dough should be hard rather than soft. Whole-wheat flour absorbs quite a bit of water, so the dough will continue to hydrate as it rests.
Once the dough comes together, let it rest while you prepare the potato curry.
Start the Aloo Curry
Heat a pan over medium heat.
Add mustard oil.
Mustard oil gives the potato curry a distinctive zing and warmth. Once the oil is hot, add 2 or 3 dried red chilies.
Next, add the cumin seeds, turmeric, nigella seeds, and mustard seeds.
Add a small amount of asafoetida as well.
Turn the heat down once the spices begin heating so they do not burn.
Stir everything together and allow the spices to bloom in the mustard oil.
Add Ginger, Green Chili, and Tomatoes
Add about 2 tablespoons of chunky chopped ginger.
If you enjoy more heat, add a little green chili as well.
Let the ginger and chili cook with the spices.
Next, add one can of diced tomatoes.
The tomatoes bring color and flavor to the potato curry. They also create a rich base for the potatoes.
If you prefer, vegan yogurt can be used instead of the diced tomatoes.
Add Freshly Ground Coriander and Fennel
Grind about 1 teaspoon each of coriander seeds and fennel seeds.
Freshly grinding the seeds releases their aromatic oils and gives the curry a much more fragrant flavor.
Once you can smell the coriander and fennel, add them to the pan.
Stir everything together and let the spices cook into the tomato mixture.
Add the Potato Peels
One of the interesting parts of this aloo curry is the use of the potato peels.
After boiling the potatoes, remove the peels and mash or finely chop them.
Add the potato peels directly to the curry mixture.
The peels add flavor, fiber, and nutrients while also helping thicken the sauce. They also prevent the peels from simply sliding off the potatoes when you eat the finished curry.
Add the Potatoes
Add about 8 to 10 boiled potatoes that have been diced into pieces.
Stir the potatoes into the spiced tomato mixture.
Pour in some water and bring everything to a boil.
Then reduce the heat and allow the curry to simmer.
As it cooks, the spices, tomatoes, potatoes, and mustard oil come together into a rich and flavorful sauce.
Let the Aloo Curry Simmer
Let the curry continue cooking until it thickens and the flavors develop.
You can also run a potato masher through the curry.
Mash some of the potatoes while leaving other pieces whole.
This creates a mixture of soft, mashed potato and larger potato pieces, giving the curry a lovely texture.
Add the Cilantro
Chop the cilantro.
The recipe uses both the leaves and stems, so there is no need to separate them.
Add the chopped cilantro to the curry and stir it through.
If you do not like cilantro, you can leave it out or use parsley instead.
Let the curry continue cooking while you prepare the spinach and puris.
Make the Garlicky Spinach
For an extra serving of greens, prepare a quick garlicky spinach.
Heat mustard oil in a pan.
Add about 4 sliced garlic cloves.
Then add 2 or 3 diced shallots.
Season with about 1 teaspoon of salt.
Cook the garlic and shallots until they become fragrant and begin to soften.
Next, add a whole package of frozen spinach.
The spinach works particularly well with mustard because they are closely related vegetables and their flavors complement each other.
Let the spinach thaw, wilt, and cook together with the garlic and shallots.
Once everything has come together, keep the spinach warm while you fry the puris.
Roll the Puris
Return to the dough that has been resting.
Divide the dough into small portions and roll them into balls.
Flatten each ball into a small disc.
Roll the discs out until they are thin and roughly the size you would like for serving.
Prepare several discs before frying if you are working by yourself. This allows you to keep the hot oil moving efficiently while you cook.
Fry the Puris
Heat the frying oil to about 300°F.
The temperature matters here. If the oil is too cool, the puris will not puff properly. If it is too hot, they can brown or burn before cooking through.
Carefully place one rolled puri into the hot oil.
It should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil.
Gently press through the center of the puri while it fries. This encourages the whole disc to puff up.
Once it has puffed and cooked, carefully remove it from the oil.
Continue frying the remaining puris one at a time.
If you have someone helping, one person can roll the puris while the other fries them.
How to Serve Aloo Puri
Serve the hot puris with the warm aloo subzi.
Add the garlicky spinach alongside the potatoes for a complete meal.
The combination is especially satisfying because the crisp, airy puris work beautifully with the soft potatoes and thick, spiced curry.
The garlicky spinach adds a fresh green element and another layer of flavor from the mustard oil and garlic.
Aloo Puri Recipe
This Aloo Puri Recipe brings together firm whole-wheat puri dough, a deeply spiced potato curry, and quick garlicky spinach.
The aloo subzi gets its distinctive flavor from mustard oil, cumin, turmeric, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida, ginger, coriander, fennel, and tomatoes. Potato peels add extra fiber and help thicken the sauce, while cilantro finishes the curry with freshness.
Meanwhile, the puris are rolled thin and fried at around 300°F until they puff up.
Although aloo curry can be served with rice or naan, this recipe is made specifically to be enjoyed with freshly fried puris. The crisp puris, soft potato curry, and garlicky spinach make a wonderfully comforting combination.
Watch the Full Recipe Video
Want to see every step of this Aloo Puri Recipe in action? Watch the complete video tutorial to see how to make the firm whole-wheat dough, build the spiced potato curry, prepare the garlicky spinach, and fry the puris until they puff up.
📺 The full step-by-step video is available below. Simply press play and cook along with us!
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