Aloo ko achar
आलुको अचार
Nepali potato salad dressed with toasted sesame, lemon, timur and smoked mustard oil. Cold, sour, nutty and a little numbing.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: आलुको अचार.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 35 min
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Spice
- Medium heat
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Aloo ko achar is boiled potato dressed while warm with ground toasted sesame, lemon juice, green chilli, coriander and a tempering of mustard oil heated to smoking with fenugreek seeds and turmeric. Timur gives a faint tingle. It is served at room temperature or cold, as a side with dal bhat, with sel roti, or on its own as a snack. Peas and cucumber are common additions. It takes twenty minutes and improves after an hour as the potatoes drink the dressing. This is a salad in the Western sense but an achar, a relish, in Nepal.
What you'll need
14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Potato, waxy, boiled in skins, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces600 g
- Sesame seed, toasted and ground coarse59 ml
- Lemon, juiced1½
- Fresh chilli, green, finely chopped2
- Coriander, chopped1 handful
- Cucumber, deseeded, diced (optional)½
- Peas, cooked (optional)80 g
- Spring onion, sliced2
- Sichuan pepper, timur, toasted and ground2½ ml
- Mustard oil44 ml
- Fenugreek, seeds2½ ml
- Turmeric2½ ml
- Chilli flakes (optional)2½ ml
- Salt4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, peel while warm, and cut into chunks.
20 min
Step 2
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden and popping, 3 minutes. Grind coarsely with the timur in a mortar.
5 min
Step 3
Put the warm potatoes in a bowl with the ground sesame, lemon juice, green chilli, coriander, cucumber, peas, spring onion and salt. Toss gently.
3 min
Step 4
Heat the mustard oil in a small pan until it smokes. Take it off the heat, add fenugreek seeds and let them darken, then turmeric and chilli flakes for 3 seconds. Pour it all over the potatoes and toss again.
3 min
Watch: Turmeric burns in a second in hot oil. Add it off the heat, then pour immediately.
Step 5
Rest at least an hour. Taste and add lemon or salt. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Tip: It is better the next day. Keep it in the fridge up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 282 kcal
- Protein
- 6.6 g
- Carbs
- 35.2 g
- Fat
- 13.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.8 g
- Fibre
- 6.9 g
- Sugar
- 3.9 g
- Sodium
- 500 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Sesame
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Mustard oil → Neutral oil
You lose the pungency that defines the dish. Add a pinch of mustard powder to the dressing to compensate.
Timur → Chinese Sichuan pepper, or leave it out
Sichuan pepper is the closest relative. Without it the salad is still good.
Tips
- Waxy potatoes hold their shape. Floury ones turn to mash when you toss them.
- Grind the sesame coarse. Fine sesame paste makes it heavy.
History & culture
Every Nepali festival plate has aloo ko achar in a corner, and it is the standard partner to sel roti at Tihar. It shows up in lunch boxes, at picnics and at the roadside with chiura, beaten rice. It is the dish Nepali students abroad make first because it needs almost nothing.
Potatoes reached Nepal's hills in the 18th or 19th century and became a staple above the rice line. Sesame and mustard oil dressings are much older. The combination, with lemon and timur, is a hill-country invention that spread down to the valley and the Terai.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Aloo ko achar take?
1 hr 35 min all in — 15 min prep, 20 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Very easy.
How spicy is it?
Medium heat.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Frying pan, Mortar and pestle, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Mustard oil → Neutral oil. You lose the pungency that defines the dish. Add a pinch of mustard powder to the dressing to compensate. Timur → Chinese Sichuan pepper, or leave it out. Sichuan pepper is the closest relative. Without it the salad is still good.
What should I watch for?
Turmeric burns in a second in hot oil. Add it off the heat, then pour immediately.
Any tips from this recipe?
Waxy potatoes hold their shape. Floury ones turn to mash when you toss them. Grind the sesame coarse. Fine sesame paste makes it heavy.
Can I prepare this ahead?
It is better the next day. Keep it in the fridge up to 3 days.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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