Aloo Asparagus is a flavorful, spiced, and tasty Indian-inspired dish made with asparagus and potatoes. Super quick and simple, this Indian Asparagus stir-fry is made with some basic spices and tastes absolutely delicious.
Though asparagus is uncommon in Indian cuisine, it is widely available in grocery stores in the United States during the spring and summer.
I love asparagus and have shared a few recipes, such as Lemon Asparagus Risotto, Asparagus Soup, and my go-to Air Fryer Asparagus.
However, I have wanted to create an Indian asparagus stir fry version. So I tried the same recipe as my Aloo Beans with asparagus.
It turned out so good, and my husband approved that it was worth sharing on the blog. So here is the recipe for you all to enjoy!
This is a vegan and gluten-free recipe, and it can be made paleo or low-carb by skipping potatoes.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Indian Asparagus Stir Fry
Benefits Of Asparagus
You wouldn’t want to miss out on this seasonal must-have after you have read about its health benefits!
- Low Calorie: Half a cup of asparagus gives only 20 calories making it a tasty, guilt-free snack.
- Loaded With Nutrients: Asparagus is a powerhouse of nutrients. It’s high in vitamin K (the vitamin that helps your blood clot) and contains good amounts of vitamins A and C, folate, iron, and some B vitamins. It is also fiber-rich, which has been linked to weight loss.
- Diuretic: Asparagus contains high levels of the amino acid asparagine, which acts as a diuretic. This can aid in the reduction of high blood pressure. It also contains potassium, which can also help lower high blood pressure.
- Antioxidant: Antioxidants in asparagus include vitamins C and E, flavonoids, and polyphenols. Antioxidants minimize your risk of chronic disease by preventing the formation of damaging free radicals.
- Improves Digestive Health: Asparagus is abundant in fiber, which promotes regularity and digestive health while also lowering your risk of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
- Supports Healthy Pregnancy: Asparagus is abundant in folate (vitamin B9), which can help prevent neural tube abnormalities during pregnancy.
Want more Vegan Recipes? Check out this collection of 65+ Vegan Indian Recipes.
Ingredients
- Oil: You can use any oil of your choice. I use canola or avocado oil.
- Cumin seeds: A staple whole spice in South Asian cuisine that adds a fragrant, nutty flavor to the recipe.
- Hing (Asafoetida): Dried and powdered tree resin, an essential spice in Indian cuisine. It adds smooth, umami flavors, and a little bit goes a long way. Many varieties contain gluten, but gluten-free versions are available too.
- Potato: We love to add potatoes to any Indian stir fry. If you want to make this dish low-calorie, skip the potatoes.
- Green Chilli: I typically use Thai green chili. Adjust this according to liking or skip it to make it kid friendly.
- Garlic: Finely dice the garlic for this stir fry.
- Asparagus: Look for fresh green spears of asparagus. Jump to the tips section on how to buy.
- Spices: You’ll need turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and dry mango powder (amchur powder). All these spices can be bought at the Indian grocery store or online at Amazon.
How To Cook Asparagus Indian Style?
Usually, asparagus is eaten plain or with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
It is also roasted and tossed in spices like dill and allspice and herbs like marjoram.
But cooking it with Indian spices takes this neutral-tasting vegetable to the next level. By cooking it differently, you can add variety to your everyday meals. Here’s how I made this easy recipe:
- Heat some oil in a pan or kadai. Add some cumin seeds (jeera) to it. Fry till they start to splutter. Also, add a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
- Add diced potatoes to the pan. Fry them for 5-6 minutes, till they start to brown very slightly.
- Now add chopped asparagus to the pan.
- Next, add turmeric powder (haldi), red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-10 minutes till the potatoes and asparagus are cooked on medium heat. Then sprinkle garam masala powder and amchur powder on top.
- Mix everything well and cook for 2 minutes. Serve hot!
It is easy to make this delicious Indian asparagus and potato stir fry. Perfect for enjoying with roti or parathas.
Pro-Tips
Selecting and Storing:
When shopping for green asparagus, look for spears with compact tips and smooth stalks that are a rich green color for the majority of their length.
The spears must be firm and can be thin or thick. Look for tender stems for freshness and maturity. Avoid spears that are pale and woody all the way through. A woody base is fine, as it will be trimmed off.
Refrigerate your asparagus in its entirety. Wrap the ends in a damp paper towel and place them in a plastic bag to keep them fresh and moist.
It is best to consume them as soon as possible- generally within 3 days from purchase.
Wash the spears only when you’re about to eat or cook them. Otherwise, bacteria may grow on them while stored in the refrigerator.
Prepping and Cooking:
Trim the white, woody ends of asparagus spears, usually by 1/4 inch.
When the spears are cooked, they should be slightly crisp. If they’ve lost their bright green color, you’ve overcooked them.
Asparagus cooks quickly, so have all your ingredients handy by the stove. Overcooking them will result in flavor loss and the destruction of some nutrients and texture.
If you like to grill, here is my recipe for how to grill asparagus.
Storing:
For these stir fry recipes, which are super easy to make, I typically like to make a small quantity so there are not many leftovers.
However, if you have any leftovers, let the Aloo Asparagus cool down completely, then transfer it to an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
I do not recommend freezing this, as the texture of the asparagus and potatoes will change.
How to Serve?
This is a simple stir fry similar to my Indian brussels sprouts subzi with only a few ingredients that go well with roti/ paratha/ naan and dal for a quick weeknight dinner.
You can enjoy it as a side dish with sambar and steamed rice.
I hope you give this easy recipe a try! Don’t forget to share how it turned out in the comments or share a picture with #pipingpotcurry
More Indian Vegetable Recipes
Indian Asparagus Stir Fry (Aloo Asparagus)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1/8 teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing), optional
- 1 Potato, medium, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 Green chili pepper , optional
- 3 cloves Garlic , finely diced
- 250 grams Asparagus, fresh and cut into 2 inch pieces, bottom white part discarded
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Dry Mango powder (Amchur)
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, mild, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat some oil in a pan or kadhai on medium heat. Add some cumin seeds to it. Fry till they start to splutter. Also add a pinch of asafoetida.
- Add diced potatoes to the pan. Fry them for 2-3 minutes till they start to brown very slightly.
- Add the garlic, and cook for one more minute.
- Now add chopped asparagus and spices to the pan. Give it a good stir. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water so the spices don't stick to the pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-8 minutes till the potatoes and asparagus are cooked.
- Add garam masala powder and amchur powder. Mix everything well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Aloo asparagus is ready. Serve it hot with any Indian bread like roti or on the side of dal rice.
Notes
- Asparagus cooks quickly, so have all your ingredients handy by the stove.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I tried this recipe with fresh green beans, orange bell pepper and onions. I changed nothing else in the recipe. It was excellent. Braising the vegetables as part of this recipe makes it very versatile. I plan to use this recipe with various seasonal vegetables throughout the year chosen by whatever looks best. That’s why I used green beans for my first time making this recipe. I plan to use asparagus next time I see high quality fresh asparagus.
Hi Stephen – Great! Love the variation with green beans and bell peppers. Enjoy experimenting with seasonal veggies! 🙂
I love Indian food and have enjoyed great meals in Dubai, London, LA and small Mom and Pop shops all over. If I was served this dish in a high end Indian restaurant I would make a point to send a compliment back to the kitchen.
I got to use Indian spices I have in the pantry that are not part of my regular rotation. 😊
Remember not to add the Garam Marsala and Amchur to the end. I’m in love!
Amazing! I didn’t even have all the spices listed, so I used the closest substitutions I had and it still came out great. Leftovers were even better the next day. 🙂
Hi – That’s awesome to hear! Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Tasty. I found that I had to repeatedly add small amounts of water to my pan after I added the asparagus.
Hi Becky – Thanks for sharing your feedback. Glad you like the stir fry!