Our laal aloo recipe: soft potatoes in a bold chili garlic sauce. A spicy Pakistani potato side dish that pairs with anything.
This is one of our favourite side dishes for kababs and tandoori chicken — that chatpata taste, tangy and a little sharp, is exactly what those grilled plates are missing until this shows up.
What is Laal Aloo?
Laal aloo translates to red potatoes, but that’s barely half the story. Chili, tomato, and a good amount of garlic come together into a sauce so good it disappears off the plate before anything else does — perfect alongside kababs or whatever’s coming off the grill.
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more delicious potato recipes, here are some of our favorites:
Potatoes – Any type of potato and any size work well for this dish. Boiling time varies by potato size and quality (15 to 30 minutes).
Red Chili – Dried whole red chili works best for this recipe. You can substitute with other types as well. Adjust the amount for your spice tolerance.
Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves are best in this recipe. There are only a few ingredients, and it really lets the flavor of the garlic shine.
Tomato paste – Use concentrated tomato paste to add the flavor without adding water to the dish.
Cumin – whole seeds or ground – Cumin brings an earthy flavor that balances all the flavors in this dish.
How to make Laal Aloo?
1. Boil & Cool the Potatoes
We use any type of potato for this recipe — just adjust the cooking time depending on what you’re using, and don’t forget the salt in the boiling water. The patience part is cooling the potatoes properly. Skip this, and you’ll end up with a mashed potato version instead — which honestly isn’t the worst outcome, just not what we’re going for here.
Mom’s pro-tip: prep the potatoes in advance and cool them in the fridge overnight!
2. Make the Chili Garlic Sauce
This recipe uses dried red chilies, which need to rehydrate for at least 20–30 minutes. We speed this up by heating them with a bit of water in the microwave for a minute.
Mom’s pro-tip: the darker the dried red chili, the milder it is! Use just a few if yours are a lighter shade of red.
Once the chilies are hydrated, we blend them with the garlic, cumin seeds, and a bit of water to make the base of the chili garlic sauce.
3. Cook the sauce
Cook the blended paste in oil with the tomato paste until it comes together into that thick, spicy sauce.
Add in the tomato paste and cook to finish the sauce.
4. Add the Potatoes & Finish
Now we add the potatoes and give everything a gentle stir — enough to coat them well, without breaking them apart. Cover and let it cook another 5–10 minutes so the potatoes really soak up all that flavour.
Finish with a sprinkle of cilantro.
What to serve with Laal Aloo?
Laal aloo is a great side dish or appetizer — a nice alternative to the usual roti or rice pairing. We especially love these spicy Pakistani potatoes with grilled meats and kababs. Some of our favourites are:
This laal aloo recipe is a spicy Pakistani potato side dish made with parboiled potatoes simmered in a chili garlic sauce until they soak up all that flavour. Soft, well-coated potatoes with a warm, cumin-spiced kick, perfect alongside kababs or anything off the grill.
6-10Dried whole red Chilli depending on the preference of spice.
1canTomato paste 156 mL / 5.5 oz
6clovesGarlic
1tspCumin Powder
6tbspOil
Instructions
Boil Potatoes: Wash potatoes and add to a pot of boiling water. Let boil for 15-30 minutes (see Notes), then cool.
Make the chili-garlic paste: While the potatoes cool, soak the dried red chilies and garlic cloves in a bowl of water — just enough to cover the garlic and chilies. Let sit for about an hour, then blend into a chili-garlic paste.
Once the potatoes have cooled, peel them and cut into cubes (about 12 pieces per medium-sized potato).
On the stovetop on low-medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil has heated, add the chili-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Keep stirring to prevent it from sticking or burning.
After a few minutes, add the cumin powder and cook until the oil separates or floats to the top.
Add the tomato paste with a couple of tablespoons of water and stir to mix it into the chili-garlic sauce.
Add the potatoes and stir to coat them with the sauce. Be careful when stirring so you don't mash the potatoes.
Cover and cook for 5-10 mins.
To serve: garnish with Cilantro
Notes
You can use any type of potato for this recipe. Boiling time will vary by potato type. You can boil the potatoes the night before to make this recipe easier, but you will need to let them cool slightly before adding them to the sauce.
