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Nepalese

Aloo tama

Vegetarian

आलु तामा बोडी · Aloo tama bodi

A tangy Nepali curry of fermented bamboo shoots, potatoes and black-eyed beans in a tomato-and-turmeric broth tempered with mustard oil and fenugreek.

Aloo tama is a Nepalese curry, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with bamboo shoots, potato and black-eyed peas (dried). It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
223

Plus overnight soaking of the beans.

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the soaked black-eyed beans (opens in a new tab) in fresh water until tender, about 30 minutes (10 minutes in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab)). Drain.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the mustard oil (opens in a new tab) until it just smokes, lower the heat and fry the fenugreek (opens in a new tab) seeds until dark. Add the onion (opens in a new tab) and fry until golden, then the garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and spices and cook until pulpy. Add the potatoes (opens in a new tab) and bamboo shoots (opens in a new tab) and fry for 3 minutes.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the beans, water and salt and simmer until the potatoes (opens in a new tab) are soft and the broth has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Adjust sourness with lemon and finish with coriander.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

About this dish

Origin
Nepal · Well documentedEspecially associated with Newar cooking in the Kathmandu Valley.More food from Nepal
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Stews & braises · Soups
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
sour, savoury, earthy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Bamboo shoots · Potato · Black-eyed peas (dried) · Mustard oil · Fenugreek · Onion
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

223 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 367 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 52%
  • Fat 35%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy223 kcal61 kcal
Protein7.8 g2.1 g
Carbohydrate30.1 g8.2 g
Net carbohydrate24.7 g6.7 g
Sugars4.9 g1.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.4 g1.5 g
Fat9 g2.5 g
Saturated fat1.1 g0.3 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium717 mg195 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
704 mg
Calcium
73 mg
Iron
3.2 mg
Magnesium
69 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
27 µg
Vitamin C
22 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
149 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon juice, coriander leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Mash a few potato cubes into the broth to give it body.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the rinse on very pungent fermented bamboo shoots — taste first, and rinse if they are overpowering.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, or beaten rice (chiura) as in the Kathmandu Valley.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days refrigerated; the flavour improves overnight.

Reheating

  • Reheat until simmering.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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