Vrat wale aloo is a fasting dish made with potatoes, tomatoes, spices and herbs.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 · 2 to 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 3 medium potatoes ((aloo))
  • 3 medium tomatoes (or about 1 cup of chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 or 2 green chilies, (chopped (hari mirch))
  • ½ teaspoon ajwain ((carom seeds) or cumin seeds (jeera))
  • 1.5 to 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • rock salt (edible and food grade) (or sendha namak as required)

Method

boiling potatoes:

  1. Rinse the potatoes very well in fresh water. Then add the potatoes with 3 cups water in the pressure cooker.
  2. Sprinkle teaspoon of sendha namak.
  3. Boil the 3 potatoes in the pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles, till the potatoes cook and soften.
  4. Peel and keep them aside.

making vrat wale aloo recipe:

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
  2. Crackle the 1/2 teaspoon of carom seeds first.
  3. Now add the 1-2 chopped green chilies.
  4. Saute for half a minute.
  5. Add a cup of chopped tomatoes and saute.
  6. Stir and saute till the oil starts to leave the sides of the mixture.
  7. The tomatoes would have cooked by now and become soft.
  8. Continue to stir in between when cooking the tomatoes a couple of times.
  9. Directly crumble the 3 boiled potatoes in the tomato gravy. Stir and mix well.
  10. Add 2 cups of water, stir well. Sprinkle sendha namak as required.
  11. Simmer till the gravy thickens a bit.
  12. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve vrat wale aloo hot. The gravy will thicken as it cools down.
  13. These vrat wale aloo goes well with puri or rotis made from kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour) or singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour).

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.