Name: Nepali Aloo Tama
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nepalese
Ingredients: 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 onion, about 150 g, chopped; 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste; 2 tomatoes, about 200 g, chopped; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp chilli powder; 400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 230 g tinned bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed; 480 g tinned black-eyed beans, drained; 400 ml water; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp lime juice

Nepali Aloo Tama

A Nepali sour curry of potatoes and bamboo shoots with black-eyed beans, cumin, turmeric and tomato.

45 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

The Idea Behind Nepali Aloo Tama

Most home versions come out flat, and the fix is the sourness. Aloo tama is a Nepali curry whose character comes from fermented bamboo shoots, which give a sharp, tangy edge that cuts through the potato and beans. Tinned bamboo shoots are a milder stand-in, so add a squeeze of lime at the end to bring back the tang.

Rinse the bamboo shoots well to remove the brine. Cook the tomato, ginger and spices in oil first, until the oil rises to the surface. Cook the masala properly. A raw spice mix gives the curry a harsh edge.

Potatoes go in cut into 2 cm cubes, with the bamboo shoots and tinned black-eyed beans. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened.

Serve with steamed rice. The dish keeps well and is better the next day, when the sourness has settled. If the bamboo shoots are very mild, a teaspoon of the lime juice at the table lifts the whole pot.

Nepali Aloo Tama, Step by Step

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Heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds for 20 seconds. Add the onion and cook for 6 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic paste for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 6 minutes until the oil separates.
Add the potatoes, bamboo shoots, beans, water and salt. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Stir in the lime juice and taste. Add more if the curry needs a sharper edge.

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Notes for Getting It Right

Rinse the bamboo shoots well.
Cook the masala until the oil separates.
Add lime juice to taste at the end.
Let the curry stand before serving.

Ingredient Swaps

Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Suggestions

Steamed rice
Pickle
Plain yoghurt
Sliced onion

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Sel Roti.

Keeping and Reheating

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat gently.

Nepali Aloo Tama Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

324Calories

10gProtein

44gCarbs

12gFat

9gFibre

8gSugar

970mgSodium

Vegetarian Vegan Dairy-Free Gluten-Free No Added Sugar

Nepali Aloo Tama

Nepali Aloo Tama, Step by Step

Notes for Getting It Right

Ingredient Swaps

Serving Suggestions

Keeping and Reheating

Nepali Aloo Tama Nutrition Facts

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Nepali Aloo Tama, Step by Step

Notes for Getting It Right

Ingredient Swaps

Serving Suggestions

Keeping and Reheating

Nepali Aloo Tama Nutrition Facts

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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