Indian Style Potato, Onion, and Tomato Sabji Recipe

My mother used to make this dish of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes cooked Indian style quite often when we were growing up.

This side dish recipe is so versatile that it can go with almost any meal.

Typically, I make this alongside a meal of dal and rice with a hearty naan bread, chapati, or roti.

And the next day, you can make a lunch wrap with the leftovers.

This dish is sometimes referred to as a potato sabji, shak, sabzi, or some other term depending on what region of India you are familiar with. But no matter the term, it refers to a dish made of mixed vegetables – which is what this recipe is.

Cooking Tools You Will Need

You don’t need many utensils to make this potato shak.

Basically you need a non-stick skillet (because potatoes tend to stick) with lid, and a silicone spoon.

I used my Caraway fry pan and was really impressed with the non-stick properties (you can read my Caraway Cookware review here). It doesn’t come with a lid – but the lid from the dutch oven fits the fry pan.

Ingredients

The ingredients for the potatoes, onions, and tomatoes cooked Indian Style are pretty simple. You need:

• potatoes,
• onions,
• tomatoes,
• and spices.

The Potatoes

To make this recipe I used diced Idaho potatoes but you could also use Yukon Gold potatoes.

Idaho potatoes tend to get a little mushier while the pieces of the Yukon Gold variety tend to hold their shape better.

The Onions

I used one small yellow onion for this recipe.

A red onion would work fine as well but might give a different color to the finished dish.

The Tomatoes

For this recipe I used half of a 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes.

If I have fresh tomatoes on hand, I will pulse about two medium tomatoes in a food processor or Magic Bullet to get about one cup diced and use these instead.

The Spices

I used a few different spices to season this recipe:

• cumin seeds
• turmeric
• cumin power
• coriander powder
• garam masala
• salt
• optional: cayenne pepper powder for spiciness

How to Make This Indian Style Potato, Onion, and Tomato Recipe

To make this potato sabji, get organized by prepping all your ingredients first.

Dice the potatoes into a medium dice of about half inch squares.

Chop the onions into a medium dice as well.

Open your can of tomatoes and measure out the amount you will use.

Measure out all of your spices into small bowls. You can mix the turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala together in one bowl.

Begin by heating some canola or avocado oil in your skillet.

When the oil is hot add in the potatoes and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are partially done. Stir occasionally to keep the potatoes from sticking.

Push the potatoes to the outer edges of the skillet and add the cumin seeds in the center and let them toast for about a minute.

Add in the onions and stir everything together. Cook for a few minutes more, adding more oil if needed.

Sprinkle the mixture with salt.

Next pour in the diced tomatoes and water.

Bring to a simmer.

Stir in the remaining spices except for the cayenne pepper (if using).

Cover and cook for another five minutes or so until the potatoes are cooked all the way through. Keep checking to make sure there is enough water and add more if needed.

You can let most of the water evaporate if you want a drier sabzi or you can add a little more water if you want more of a curry style dish.

At this point give it a taste and add more salt if needed. Also sprinkle in the cayenne pepper a little at a time, tasting for the appropriate spice level.

Serve hot.

An Easy Side Dish

This Indian style potatoes, onions, and tomatoes side dish is super easy to make and goes with just about any main meal.

You can make it mild or spicy depending on how you like it.

Let me know if you tried the recipe and how you like it.

Bon appetit!

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