Potato Masala For Dosa (Aloo Masala)

Potato Masala (Potato filling for Masala Dosa) or Batata Bhaji recipe, is an Indian side dish curry made with yellow potatoes, sautéed onions, and a tasty blend of spices for dosa on a stovetop pot or Instant Pot. This Aloo Masala is served mostly with savory South Indian – style dosas (fermented lentil and rice crêpes) along with coconut chutney and sweet-sour sambar.

This Potato masala is also known as aloogadde palya (ಆಲೂಗಡ್ಡೆ  ಪಲ್ಯ) in Karnataka and Potato or Batata Bhaji in Maharashtra.

Whenever I sit down calmly & recollect all my childhood days, SUNDAY was undoubtedly one of the most peaceful days of the week, when we did not wake up to the routine. I did not have to run around to get ready for school, I did not have to see my father getting ready for his work.

This peaceful Sunday morning was even more special because 99% of the time, we had Dosa as our breakfast. So everyone in the family got to eat their hot and crispy Masala Dosa with Alugadde palya, inside. Often served with a different variety of Coconut chutney. Check out my other 20+ Chutney recipes.

Jump to:

• What is Aloo (Potato) Masala?
• Potato Masala Recipe Ingredients
• How to Make Potato Masala for Dosa
• How to Make Potato Masala in Instant Pot
• Serving Suggestions
• Tips to make the Best Potato Masala
• Variations
• Storage Suggestions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Indian Potato Recipes
• More Indian Breakfast Recipes
• Potato Masala Recipe - Stovetop & Instant Pot

What is Aloo (Potato) Masala?

Aloo, which means Potato, and Masala, which means Spiced or Spices. It’s a delicious South Indian potato curry to serve with dosa, poori, roti, or naan. This aloo masala filling can also be used for sandwiches, parathas, wraps, puff pastries, or packed in as a side dish for lunchbox along with coconut rice, carrot rice, mint rice.

In the traditional method, the potatoes are boiled separately, peeled, diced, and mixed with tempering made with onion and spices, which is time-consuming.

But making this dish in an Instant Pot is a breeze as there is no need to boil potatoes separately. Today, I am sharing both Stovetop and Instant Pot versions of making this easy Potato Masala recipe.

Potato Masala Recipe Ingredients

• Potato: I used Yukon gold potatoes. You can also use red potatoes or the Russet variety.
• Mustard seeds: Mustard seeds are an essential ingredient in Indian tempering, giving a nice nutty flavor.
• Lentils/Dals: In the traditional potato recipe, both split urad dal and chana dal are used. They give a nice crunch to the dish. You may skip them if you don't have them.
• Green chilies: I used Thai green chilies. You may also use either Indian chilies, Serrano pepper, or Jalapeno.
• Curry leaves: I highly recommend adding these to get the authentic taste.
• Ginger: I have minced fresh ginger. You may also use ginger paste.
• Onion: I have used red onions, which are thinly sliced lengthwise. You may also use yellow onions. More the better it gives to the dish.
• Turmeric: I always use organic turmeric, for its medicinal properties and to get the beautiful yellow color to the dish.
• Lime Juice: Use fresh lime/lemon juice for a nice flavor.
• Coriander leaves: for garnish

How to Make Potato Masala for Dosa

Firstly, boil the potatoes in a stovetop pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles with a little water on medium heat and let the pressure release naturally. You can also boil potatoes in the Instant Pot. Or you can also cook them in a large pot until just tender, about 15 minutes, drain, and set aside.

Once cooled, peel, dice, and roughly mash it. Don't mash it completely.

Heat the Kadai, and add oil. Once it's hot, add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, and chana dal. Saute it till the dals become light brown.

Then add green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, and asafetida and saute it for a few seconds.

Add sliced onion, turmeric powder, and salt and saute it for 2-3 minutes or until the onions turn light brown.

Then add boiled & mashed potato, mix it well, close the lid, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame.

Lastly, add coriander leaves, squeeze lemon juice, and, mix it well. Aloo Masala filling for the Dosa recipe is ready to serve.

How to Make Potato Masala in Instant Pot

Firstly, Peel and dice the potatoes into ¾ -1 inch cubes. I used Yukon gold potatoes, about 400 grams.

Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, and chana dal, and saute until the dals become light brown.

Then add green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, and asafetida and saute it for 30 secs.

Now add onion, turmeric powder, and salt and saute it for 2-3 minutes or until the onions turn light brown.

Add diced potatoes along with ⅓ cup of water. Deglaze the pot, i.e., Make sure to scrap any spice if sticking to the pot to avoid a BURN alert.

Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.

When the instant pot beeps, Do a QUICK RELEASE (QR).

Remove the lid away from you, sprinkle coriander leaves and squeeze some lemon juice, and Mix well.

You can also roughly mash using a potato masher according to your preference.

Potato (Aloo) Masala curry is ready, serve hot with dosa, poori, chapatis, & parathas.

Serving Suggestions

Karnataka Style Potato Palya is mainly used as an accompaniment with Masala Dosa.

You can also serve it as a side dish with poori, chapati, or naan. Other side dishes that go well are paneer jalfrezi, veg kurma, or chana masala.

When I have some leftovers, I use them to stuff in puff pastries, sandwiches, parathas, wraps, or even aloo bonda.

Tips to make the Best Potato Masala

1. Choose the right potatoes: Idaho potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and Russet potatoes are the best potatoes for making potato masala.
2. Tempering with the spices: Make sure to include tempering ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, green chilies, and ginger to get the restaurant-style flavor of the dish.
3. Make it creamy: Adding a little milk at the end adds creaminess and richness to the dish.

Variations

1. Add vegetables: You can add other vegetables to the potato masala to make it more nutritious and flavorful. Some popular choices include peas, carrots, cauliflower, and bell peppers.
2. Make it spicy: Add extra green chilies to make it extra spicy.
3. Add protein: You can add a protein like crumbled or shredded paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or tofu to the dish.
4. Add nuts: You can add roasted peanuts or cashews to add crunch and nutty flavor to the aloo masala.

Storage Suggestions

• Store: You can keep the potato masala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this dish. Potato Masala loses its texture, i.e., it can become mushy when they are frozen and thawed.
• Reheat: You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on a stovetop pot on medium flame until they are warm throughout.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Indian Potato Recipes

• Potato Sagu (Bombay Sagu)
• Aloo Methi
• Potato Peas Curry
• Potato Biryani
• Aloo Gobi (Potato Cauliflower Curry)
• Potato Sandwich
• Aloo Beans

More Indian Breakfast Recipes

• Restaurant Style Upma
• Mandakki Usli
• Poha
• Pongal
• Bread Upma
• Sabudana Khichdi
• Vegetable Paniyaram
• Veg Mayonnaise Sandwich

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