Tag Archives: mustard oil

Aloo ko achar (Nepali style potato salad)

Aloo ko achar is a very popular Nepali potato salad which is used in most bhoj in Nepal. There are many different ways that it can be prepared. I am sharing my recipe here.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium potatoes (200gm)
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 Spanish onion
  • 2 Teaspoon of mustard oil
  • 1 Teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 Teaspoon crushed chilli flakes
  • 1/2 Teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
  • 1/2 cup white sesame seeds (teel)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 3 green chillies
  • A few leaves of fresh Coriander
  • Salt to taste
Fenugreek seeds (Methi)

 Steps

  • Boil potatoes, peel and chop into quarters. I use pressure cooker as it is quick and easy.

  • Cut cucumber and carrot in half moon shapes as shown in photos.

  • Finely chop Spanish onion, green chillies and coriander leaves.

  • Roast sesame seeds (Teel) on a pan until it turns light brown and starts crackling. Make sure to stir regularly so it doesn’t burn.

  • Place it in the blender with half a cup of water to make a fine paste. Alternatively grind it into a fine powder in the grinder and mix with half cup of water.

  • Put the potatoes, cumber, carrot, onion, coriander and green chilli into a big bow. Add the sesame paste, lemon juice and salt.

  • Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add mustard oil. When the oil gets heated and you start to see smoke add the fenugreek seeds. Wait till it goes dark brown and add chilli flakes, turmeric powder and take off from the heat straight away.

  • Pour this into the bowl with the potatoes.

  • Mix it well and it is ready to be served.

It tastes best if you leave the Aloo ko achar in the fridge for half an hour before serving.

You may also like :

*Aloo dum *Aloo Tama bodi *Aloo chop

Maghe Sankranti

I think many of you know already that from my previous posts that Nepal follows a different calendar than the Gregorian calendar. So the months are different and the start and end of the months do not match with the Gregorian calendar. Also Nepali people have lots of festivals according to their own calendar. 

On Sunday, 15 January, it was 1st of Magh  2068. This day is called Maghe Sankranti. It is the end of winter and start of warmer days in Nepal which is also believed to bring an end to the ill-omened month of Poush when all religious ceremonies are forbidden. 

Normally people go to holy rivers around the country  like Devghat, Dolalghat, Sankhamul Ghat to take a holy dip in the morning and offer auspicious food like laddoos (sesame seeds candy ball), chaku (molasses), ghee (clarified butter), sweet potatoes, yam, khichari (mixture of rice and lentils) and green leaf spinach to the gods. Then in the afternoon and evening there will be a bhoj (get together) to eat all these food they have prepared. 

Chaku (Molasses) is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. 

Laddoos (sesame seeds candy ball) is made with black or white sesame seed and chaku . They are sweet like candy and very tasty. 

In Newari culture, this day is also known as ‘Ghyo-Chaku Salu’ which means the day to eat chaku (molasses) and ghee (clarified butter). 

Days leading to this festival, you will see vendors in the street selling lots of sweet potatoes and yam as well as molasses  and black and white sesame candy balls all across the country. I love the white ones 🙂 

When I was in Nepal, I remember going to my grand ma’s house with my brother and she would put mustard oil on our head and bless us. Then we would be given khichari with melted Ghee and Chaku with sweet potatoes and yam. I really miss those days. 

Happy Maghe Sankranti!!!