Jhuri aloo bhaja recipe or bengali jhur jhure alu bhaja recipe with detailed step-by-step pictures. Jhuri aloo bhaja or jhur jhure alu bhaja is a bengali style crispy fried potato strips. Even you can describe it as Bengali style potato chips too. These crispy fried potato strips taste just heaven while having it with steamed rice and dal. That is the reason this traditional bengali recipe is holding the first position among all of our alu bhaja recipes.
For making this recipe, simply grate the potatoes by using a stainless steel grater and deep-fried in oil until getting crisp and golden in color. If you think it is not that easy as I told then blindly follow my steps to reach out to perfection.
In my home, this crispy fried aloo bhaja is high on demand, and that is mostly because of my kid who is a huge fan of this Bengali-style alu bhaja. We mostly love to have it with Sabji Diye Bengali Bhaja Muger Dal , Patla musur dal, or macher matha diye dal. Due to its huge demand, I always have to make these fries with at least 1 kg aloo and store it in an airtight container for 3-7 days.
I learned to make this jhuri aloo bhaja from my Masi(Elder sister of my mom). She is an expert in making this crispy alu bhaja recipe. Every year during Durga Puja, she used to visit our home and must prepare these potato fries in our kitchen. That was so delicious and perfect that I couldn’t resist learning this jhur jhure alu bhaja recipe, from her. I am really grateful to my Masimoni for sharing such a wonderful recipe with me.
As I said, these Bengali style alu bhaja is considered as homemade potato chips from the olden days of our cuisine. Even in the Bengali language, we people call these potato fries with different names as per their fine cuts or even crispy looks. Such as this aloo bhaja is popular with jhuri cut, or jhiri jhiri cut, or jhuri jhuri cut, and jhur jhure looks, or jhor jhore looks, isn’t it?
Some of my friends ask me, how to make exactly the same jhuri aloo bhaja recipe, serves in restaurants, or Bengali Biye Bari. Even I’ve seen people have many more questions about this recipe. Such as, Why this homemade jhuri alu bhaja gets stick to each other, or why it’s not so crunchy like restaurants, or how to store it for a long time? I hope you will get all your answers through all tricks and tips I explained in this step-by-step recipe.
If you love these potato fries, must try it at home. But don’t forget to let me know your valuable feedback over this recipe in the comment section below.
Jhuri aloo bhaja recipe | bengali jhur jhure alu bhaja recipe
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Served for: 5-6 people
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Bengali
Author: Moumita Paul
Ingredients
- 800 gm aloo or potatoes
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt
Equipment used
- Stainless steel grater
- Perforated ladle
- Colander or strainer
How to make jhuri aloo bhaja recipe with step by step pictures
Preparation
- First, take the potatoes(800 gm or 5 medium size aloo), wash it for 3-4 times then peel it out, keep it in a bowl full of water.
- Take a stainless steel grater, choose the biggest hole(shown in the pic). If you select small holes that will make more fine strips but may cause of sticking to each other.
- Start grating the potatoes one by one to fine julienne strips.
- After grating each potato, immediately put it in a bowl of water to prevent it from getting oxidized(means turn into brownish).
- Once all potatoes are nicely grated, then thoroughly wash the potato strips for 4-5 times or until the water completely gets clean. This process will help you to remove the starch contains in potatoes. That will also help it get crispy.
- Now either put the potatoes in a large bowl or separate it into two bowls with enough water. Make sure potato strips should be drowned in the water.
- If you are putting the whole potato strips in a large bowl, then add 1&1/2 tsp of salt to it. But if you are putting it in two separate bowls then add 1 tsp of salt to each bowl. Leave it for at least 30 mins. (Because of using salt, aloo will quickly release its water along with starch).
- After 30 mins, first, take out 2-3 handful of potato strips from the bowl by squeezing it hard to remove its water. Squeeze it nicely, as hard as you can, to make sure water must not be left with potato strips. Keep it on a plate(as shown below).
- Now add 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil for every 2-3 handfuls of potato strips, and mix it well. This procedure will help you to prevent the potato strips gets stick to each other.
How to make jhuri aloo bhaja
Then take a deep bottom fry pan, put it on high flame. Add vegetable oil or refined oil in it for deep frying. Once the oil gets hot means when it will start releasing smoke, first put one strip into the oil, if the potato strip immediately floats on the surface that indicates the oil is perfectly hot.
- Then put the strips into the oil by separating it with your hand.
- For the first 1 min, don’t touch the potatoes otherwise it will get stick to each other. Only make sure aloo should nicely drown into the oil. In the beginning, aloo will get into the oil and many bubbles appear on the surface of the oil. Slowly the potato strips will float on the surface and bubbles will start disappearing.
- After 1 min, stir the potatoes well and fry the other sides for a few seconds. Once the potato strips are done, it gets golden in color and makes a crunch sound when touched by the ladle. It indicates your much muche aloo bhaja get done.
- Then strain the potato fries with a perforated ladle and remove it in a strainer or colander. This process will help us to remove excess oil from the potato chips. (For more details look at the tips section)
- Similarly applying the same process to fry all the potato strips. Keep it in the air until it gets completely cool then immediately store it in an airtight container. Keep the container in the refrigerator for more crunchiness but you may easily keep it outside too for 3-7 days.
Tips
- 400 ml to 500 ml oil is must required for frying 1 kg potato strips. As crunch will be missing without deep frying that is one of the most important things that should be maintained while making this alu bhaja.
- Always keep the flame high. Don’t leave the fries unattended while frying to avoid burning or brown texture.
- Every time, squeeze out the potatoes just before frying or while one batch is in the pan. Don’t keep it out of the water for a long time to avoid oxidation or getting brown.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan otherwise potato strips get stick to each other. You may add less or more potatoes in oil, as per the size of the pan and the quantity of oil.
- After getting the crunchy sound from the chips doesn’t overcook it. Otherwise, the chips will get brown in color instead of its golden texture.
- After frying must remove it in a colander or strainer for removing the excess oil from it. In Bengali biye bari or restaurants, mainly bansher jhuri or Bengali style special bamboo basket is used to remove the excess oil.
- Don’t put the fries on a paper-lined plate especially if you want to store it for a long time. Though paper will quickly soak the oil but make the fries too dry.
- Let the fries first completely cool down then store them in an airtight container. Basically, when the fries are hot, it still contains the moisture, let the moisture absorb by the air by cooling it down then store it in the container. Otherwise, the moisture will turn into the water if stored hot and it will lose the crunch get soggy.
- As this alu bhaja is traditionally connected to our authentic bengali cuisine and to keep its authentic touch intact I never add peanuts, curry leaves, or any masalas. Though you may add fried peanuts, fried curry leaves for little more extra crunch. Or even for a spicy touch may add a sprinkle of little pepper, chilli powder or even little black salt, that is up to you.
- I used vegetable oil for frying these fries but you may use mustard oil too.
Based on 3 Review(s)