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Aloo ke gutke || Dry & Crunchy Potato

Aloo ke gutke is the pahadi name for potatoes stir fried in spices. The word gutke in the local kumaoni dialect means pieces. Actually, it is the most commonly found snack in Kumaon served by local tea vendors.

Hilly potatoes have a peculiarly sweet taste. This adds a very unique flavor to the dish. In fact, over the years aloo ke gutke has become quite a popular dish amongst tourists and food lovers.

Aloo ke gutke – is generally served with pahadi kheere ka raita and a hot cup of tea. This combination may sound odd, but that is the usual menu at any kumaoni tea time affair. The above combination tastes best when served with a mustard tadka. The aloo ke gutke prepared in mustard oil and tempered with jakhiya gives a nice comfortable warmth in winters.

What Is Jakhiya?

Jakhiya seeds (cleome viscose) are used for tempering almost all types of vegetables and curries in the kumaon and garhwal region. Spices such as jakhiya, faran (Allium stracheyi), choru (Angelica glauca), dolu (Rheum austral) and chippi are also used in kumaoni / garwhali dishes. Jakhiya is primarily used for tempering while others are used in preparing spices.

My first exposure to jakhiya was very recent, when I visited Ranikhet and Almora. While touristing, I started my day with aloo ke gutke and a hot cup of tea. In fact, those aloo gutke had a special tempering of jakhiya, which inspired me to try this recipe. Moreover, I was delighted to end my day with hara saag with madwe ki roti.

I realized then, that most kumaonis prefer jakhiya over cumin and mustard seed for tempering. In fact, it is used in almost all the local dishes. Including vegetables, dal, saag,curries -almost everything that needs to be tempered before or after cooking.

” You cannot experience authentic kumaoni taste without it, even in the restaurants in kumaun.”– Said Mrs Radha Bisht our humble hosts. I really want to thank Mrs Radha Bisht as she shared all the authentic recipes with me …

Lastly, if you are looking for few more pahadi recipes i can suggest you some more recipes from my blog category Pahari cuisine.

firstly, you try a very tasty Kulath ki daal / horse gram millet
secondly, A very different Madwe ki Roti||Ragi flour Roti
furthermore, a must try a flavorful salt Hara Namak- A Green Salt
and so on..

Aloo ke gutke / potato dry curry

Recipe by MINAL SHARMACourse: MainCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Aloo ke gutke is a kumaoni dish famous for its crunchiness and awesome taste, a recipe strait from the hills of himalaya. Enjoy the Flavorful Aloo ke Gutke.

Ingredients

350 – 400 grams Potatoes (I used 2 med- large red potatoes weighing 350 grams)
25 grams or 1 – 1 ½ tbsp. Oil
2 Long Red Chilies
¼ tsp. Jakhiya / Mustard Seeds
½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. Coriander Powder
½ tsp. Chili Powder
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Cumin Powder
1 tsp Chopped garlic & ginger
1 tsp Chopped green chilli
¼ – ½ cup Chopped Coriander Leaves ~ Cilantro

Directions

Wash potatoes and cut them into 2 pieces. Boil the potatoes until cooked. Potatoes should be just cooked and do not overcook. It takes about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the potatoes rest in the boiling water for 5 minutes, drain the hot water and fill the pan with cold water. Peel the potatoes and cut them in to 1 ½” pieces.
Heat oil in a skillet and fry the red chilies until brown. Remove from the oil and keep aside.
In the same oil add jakhiya / mustard seeds and let the seeds pop.
Add coriander powder, chili powder, salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
Immediately add potatoes and mix well for to coat the spices.
Sauté the potatoes for about 5 -7 minutes on medium low flame until potatoes are evenly roasted.
2-3 minutes before turning off the heat, add cumin powder and roast until potatoes are done.
Turn of the heat, transfer to a serving dish and garnish the potatoes with red chilies and lots of
coriander leaves.
Aloo ke gutke can be served as it is as a snack or can also be served as a side dish with roti, paratha
or rice. If serving as a snack, squeeze some lime juice.

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Notes

If jakhiya is not readily available with you ..replace it with cumin or mustard seed.
Always use pahari aaloo for this recipe. Best would be baby potatoes.