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Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad)
Boiled potatoes tossed with red onion, green chilli, lime, timur pepper and toasted sesame, then doused in smoking mustard oil fried with fenugreek and turmeric.
Nepali (Newari) · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 25 min · plus 20 min hands-off time
~203 cal · 4g protein · 29g carbs · 8g fat · 4g fiber · 2g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Sadeko means marinated or mixed, and aloo sadeko is the potato version of a whole family of Nepali tossed dishes. It is a Newari favourite from the Kathmandu Valley, part of celebrations and feasts, and it is also made at home as a sharp, spicy side for dal bhat.
Boiled potatoes are mixed with raw onion, green chilli, lime juice and chilli powder, often with a coarse paste of toasted timur and sesame seed. Timur is the Himalayan cousin of Sichuan pepper, and its citrusy, tingling heat is what marks the dish as Nepali.
The finishing touch is the jhannu, the tempering. Mustard oil is heated until it smokes, seeds are fried in it until they turn dark and bitter, turmeric goes in for a few seconds, and the sizzling oil is poured straight over the potatoes. The salad is left to stand briefly so the flavours soak in, then eaten at room temperature.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 600 g small waxy potatoes
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for the cooking water
- 1/2 tsp timur (Nepali Sichuan pepper)Hard to find? 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns - a very close relative; slightly less citrusy
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cm piece fresh ginger
- 1/2 red onion, thinly slivered
- 2 green chillies, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tbsp (about 1 lime) lime juice
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1/4 tsp seeds
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
- 1Boil the potatoes in their skins in well-salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until just tender. Drain, let them cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into halves or quarters.
- 2Toast the timur and sesame seeds in a dry pan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Pound or grind them with the garlic and ginger to a coarse paste.
- 3In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the paste, onion, green chillies, chilli powder, salt and lime juice, mixing with your hands so every piece is coated.
- 4Heat the mustard oil in a small pan until it just smokes, then lower the heat and fry the fenugreek seeds until they turn dark brown, almost black. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the turmeric for a few seconds, and pour the sizzling oil over the potatoes.✎ Chef’s noteHeating mustard oil until it smokes takes the raw pungency off. Keep your face away from the pan when the oil hits the potatoes.
- 5Mix well, fold in the coriander, and leave for 20 minutes for the flavours to soak in. Taste for salt and lime and serve at room temperature.
Newari tradition of the Kathmandu Valley.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kathmandu Valley. The Kathmandu Valley cooks Newari specialties alongside dal bhat and momo dumplings. Fermented greens, buffalo dishes, and Himalayan-Tibetan influence define Nepal's cultural heartland.
🗺️
Nepal. Nepali food revolves around dal bhat, lentils and rice eaten twice daily, alongside momo dumplings and Himalayan Tibetan influences. Simple, wholesome, and mountain-shaped, it leans on lentils, pickles (achar), and fermented greens.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Nepal
Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling)Fig-shaped steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with chaku (jaggery molasses), toasted sesame, and coconut, made for Yomari Punhi.
Dal Bhat TarkariThe Himalayan daily plate: tempered black lentils, rice, and a turmeric-spiced vegetable curry.
Sel RotiA ring-shaped, lightly sweet fermented rice bread, crisp outside and soft within.
Browse all Nepal recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Best assembled just before serving. Prep the components ahead and dress at the last moment so it stays crisp.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad)?
Boiled potatoes tossed with red onion, green chilli, lime, timur pepper and toasted sesame, then doused in smoking mustard oil fried with fenugreek and turmeric.
Where does Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad) come from?
Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad) is a Nepali (Newari) dish from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.
Can Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad) take to make?
About 1 h in all: 15 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking, plus 20 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 4.
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