If you enjoy Nepali cuisine, Potato Masaura Curry is likely a familiar dish. It’s an easy, simple curry commonly served with rice and achar (pickle).
Aloo Masaura / Potato Masaura
Potato Masaura curry is made with a combination of potato and masaura cooked in a flavorful blend of spices. It’s traditionally served over rice or roti.
Masaura is a Nepali dish made with black lentils. Black lentils are soaked, ground into a paste, seasoned with cumin, turmeric, and salt, and then shaped into small balls or discs.
The lentil mixture is then left to dry in the sun until it becomes hard and crispy.
Growing up, we didn’t eat meat very often, so we used to eat more vegetable curry or curries with dried foods like gundruk and masura.
My grandmother would spend time making large batches of gundruk and masura.
It would last us for months, and adding them to curries and vegetables was a particular part of our meals.
Here is a simple step-by-step instructions to make an aloo masura curry recipe:
Ingredients
Potatoes: Red potatoes. Prepare the potato, wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into small cubes.
Seasonings: Salt & fenugreek seeds.
Spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander and Kashmiri red chili powder
Vegetables and Herbs: Ginger and garlic paste, tomato, and onion.
Oil: Cooking olive oil or any cooking oil of your choice.
Masaura: Masaura is a traditional Nepali food made from sun-dried black lentil paste seasoned with spices. It is used in soups, stews, and other Nepali dishes.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add masaura. Fry masaura until lightly brown. Remove from the pan and set it aside.
- Add oil to the same pan.
- Once hot, add the fenugreek seeds and fry for a minute or so. Then add the chopped onion. Fry until the onions are softened.
- Add chopped potatoes. Cook potatoes until they are light brown.
- Then add spices, and cook all spices with the potato for a few minutes.
- Next, add chopped tomatoes and mix everything well.
- Cook until tomatoes are mushy, then pour in water. Allow the curry to come to a gentle simmer over low heat.
- Continue simmering for 5 -10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy has thickened nicely.
- Then, add the fried masura to the pan. Combine everything well.
- Continue cooking with the lid on, checking occasionally, until the masaura is tender and has absorbed the flavors of the curry.
- Finally, season with salt, and serve hot with rice or roti.
Note: Adjust the water as needed based on your preferred thickness.
Serving & Storage
Potato Masura Curry can be paired with a variety of sides. Here are some options to consider:
Rice: (Aloo) Potato masura curry is traditionally served with steamed rice. Pair it with white or brown rice, depending on your preference.
Roti: Another common pairing to Aloo Masura Curry is roti, which is a type of Indian flatbread. You can make roti at home or buy it from a grocery store.
Achar or pickle: Chutney is a tangy, sweet, and spicy condiment that pairs well with Aloo Masura Curry. You can try mint pickle, spicy tomato pickle, or tomato Nepali achar to pair with curry.
Salad: You can also pair potato masaura curry with Nepali salads like Aloo Dum and Aloo Sadeko, served with rice.
Storage
If you have any leftover Aloo Masura Curry, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
If you want to store it for longer, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
When reheating the curry, you can use a microwave or stovetop.
If you’re using a microwave, transfer the curry to a microwave-safe dish and heat it on high for 1-2 minutes. Stir and heat it for another minute or until it’s hot throughout.
Other Recipes
Here are some other potato curry recipes that you might be interested in trying out:
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 cup chopped potato
- ½ cup chopped tomato
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
Spices
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder
Seasoning
- ½ tsp salt to taste
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Oil
- ½ tbsp olive oil (frying masaura)
- ½ tbsp olive oil ( for rest of cooking)
Masaura
- ½ cup masaura
Water
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and fry masura until lightly browned.½ tbsp olive oil (frying masaura), ½ cup masaura
- Next, add oil to the pan and fry fenugreek seeds for minutes.¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, ½ tbsp olive oil ( for rest of cooking)
- Add onions and fry until softens⅓ cup chopped onion
- Then add chopped potatoes and cook until lightly browned.1 cup chopped potato
- Add spices and ginger garlic paste. Combine everything well and cook spices for few minutes.½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are mushy.½ cup chopped tomato
- Next, add water and simmer with lid on for 5-10 minutes or until gravy slightly thickens.1 cup water
- Add fried masaura and combine well. Cook on low heat with the lid on until the masaura becomes tender.
- Once cooked, season with salt and finally, serve hot over rice or roti.½ tsp salt to taste
Notes
Nutrition
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