Fried Potatoes and Onions Persian Style (Do Piazeh Aloo)

An easy recipe for fried potatoes and onions with a Persian twist. Do piazeh aloo is an Iranian vegan dish that you can make in no time with just a few ingredients. It's packed with so much flavor thanks to turmeric and spices. 

While Persian recipes might seem to be challenging and calling for specific techniques and ingredients, It's important to know there are so many easy Persian recipes on this blog that you can make with ingredients you have at home. Some easy recipes are potato patties, kotlet and one pot tomato rice. Today I'm going to show you how to make do piazeh aloo, a Persian potatoes and onions recipe that's ready in no time and is super easy to make. 

Fried potatoes and onion aka do piazeh aloo

In Iran this dish is called Do Piazeh Aloo and it's originally from Shiraz, a beautiful city in southwest of Iran. In Shirazi dialect potatoes are called "aloo" (like it's called in Indian!). Do piazeh aloo literally means "two onions potato". So basically, the recipe is right there in the name! For every two onions, you'll need one potato. 

This is a vegan potato recipe that's also naturally gluten free. It's very simple yet so delicious and everyone in our family loves it. Persian style fried potatoes and onions is one of those dishes that you make when you don't know what to do for dinner, it just hits the spot.  

The ingredients

Onion - I suggest using yellow onion for this recipe. Chop the onion finely for this recipe. 

Potatoes - Russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes work best for this recipe. They should be diced finely as well. 

Oil - Traditionally this recipe is made with vegetable or sunflower oil, however, I've made it with olive oil and the results are just as good. 

Tomato paste - To add a little color, flavor and depth, we use tomato paste. Make sure you're not using too much tomato paste otherwise the flavor would be too overpowering. 

Spices - Like many other Persian recipes, this dish also has mild flavors. The spices we use to make fried potatoes and onions are salt, pepper and turmeric. If you like it spicy, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. 

How to make fried potatoes and onions

Prepare the onions and potatoes

Cut the onions in half, dice them finely and set aside. Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into ½ inch pieces. 

Cook the potatoes

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes until they're almost completely cooked. Once cooked, drain the potatoes. 

Fry the onions

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry the onions until golden brown and fragrant. 

Mix in the spices and potatoes

Add in the tomato paste and the spices. Add the potatoes to the onions and give it a nice stir. Cook for another 5 minutes and then serve. 

Can I add the potatoes to the onions without cooking them?

Another approach to make do piazeh aloo is to add the potatoes directly to the onions without cooking them first. This could work as well but the onion might turn brown and lose its flavor since it takes longer for the potatoes to cook. 

If adding uncooked potatoes to the onions: To make sure the potatoes cook completely, after adding the tomato paste and spices, add ¾ cup water to the pan. Cover and cook on medium for about 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked. 

Serving suggestions

This is a simple dish that you can serve on its own or with some bread such as barbari. Other delicious side dishes for this dish are salad shirazi (Persian cucumber tomato salad) and mast o khiar (Persian yogurt and cucumber) or a simple chopped salad.