Tag: baby potatoes

Poriyals / Kootu Varieties.

Aloo Fry (Baby Potatoes marinated in dry spices and seared to perfection).

Shoba6 Comments

IMG_0279

Baby Potatoes have always been a favorite at home. Whenever we find them at the local indian store, my older daughter immediately scoopes them in to a bag. She loves the Kashmiri Dum Aloo that I make to pair it with simple Jeera Pulav, or sometimes I settle for this simple Aloo Fry with traditional sambar and rasam. This is the best thing  you can have for a sunday lunch.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Pounds Baby Potatoes.

1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder.

1 Tsp Dhania Powder.

1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder.

Hing as needed.

Salt as needed.

Seasonings:

Oil as needed.

1 Tsp Mustard Seeds.

1 Tsp Urad Dhal.

Curry Leaves.

Hing.

PREPARATION:

  • Baby potatoes are very interesting to make as they are bite sized wonders. Every potatoe thereore has to be filed with the goodness of the flavourings that will ultimately compliment the entire dish.
  • I always cook my potatoes in my electric rice cooker with water and salt. This is of course, after poking every potato with a fork to enable the salt to reach them.
  • Once they are cooked, drain all the water and allow to sit on a wide plate. Check to see if the potatoes are well done and if the salt has seeped into the vegetable.
  • Mix hing, little more salt, red chilli powder and turmeric in to a powder. Add about 3 Tsp of oil and make a paste.
  • Marinate the spice paste over the cooked potatoes and allow to sit for about 20 minutes.
  • Heat oil in a wok and add the seasonings – mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and hing.
  • Slowly add the marinated spiced potatoes in to the oil and allow to sear on a medium low flame.
  • Keep moving the potatoes around until they get cooked and seared on all sides.
  • When well done, remove the flame and garnish with finely chopped cilantro.
  • Serve Aloo Fry with Vengaya Vethal Kuzhambu and Kalyana Rasam.
Side Dishes for Rotis/Dosas/ Naan.

Hari Bari Sookhi Alu Subji.

Shoba12 Comments

Baby Potatoes at the local farmer`s market can never let me walk by without getting picked. The local market has hoards of them freshly wrapped up in little bags, all of them in various sizes. My all time favourite preparation would always be Chinna Urulai Fry or with fresh soft parathas, Aloo Dum.  This weekend, I rememebered having a fresh packet of Mint and corriander stashed away in my refrigerator pantry. I have this love for Mint and I keep using it over and over again in my cooking. It`s such an awesome addition to any rice pilafs and to curried gravies that it simply takes the taste and aroma to the next level. Cialntro on the other hand is such an aromatic garnish that I lavish it in rasams, gravies, and rice dishes. With this in mind, I wanted to try to marinate the cooked potatoes in a green sauce and then let them saute in the wok. Good try over the weekend, with even better reviews from my family!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Baby Potatoes – 1 1/2 Pound Bag.

Fresh Cilantro Packed – 1 cup.

Fresh Mint Leaves Packed – 1/3 cup.

Green Chillies – 12.

Red Onion – 1/4 Medium Onion or 1 small onion/ shallot.

Ginger – 2 Inch Piece.

Garlic – 5-8 Pods.

Cashew Pods – 5 to 6.

Jeera – 1 Tsp.

Dhania Powder – 2 Tsp.

Turmeric Powder – A pinch.

Garam Masala Powder – 1/4 Tsp.

White Sesame Seeds (Dry Roasted) – 1 Tsp.

Yoghurt – 1/4 cup.

Salt to taste.

PREPARATION:

  • Wash the Baby Potatoes three to four times in tap water and rub the outer skin well with a brush to remove all traces of soil or dirt. The potatoes would be cooked with the skin on so its very necessary to clean it well.
  • Make a small hole with a fork on every potatoe. This is to make sure that its well cooked with the salt,
  • In a pressure cooker, add the potatoes, enough water to just soak  in, add salt and pressure cook FOR JUST ONE WHISTLE. Immediately switch off.
  • Drain all the water and pour in to a mixing bowl. Set aside.
  • In 1/8 cup water add the dhania powder and  turmeric powder and mix to a smooth paste. Set aside.
  • In a mixer puree the following: Onion, Mint, Cilantro, Cashews, 8 Green Chillies, Ginger, Garlic, Salt with as less water as possible. Adding the onions first helps in bringing out water for grinding the rest of the ingredients.
  • Pour in to a mixing bowl and add the cooked potatoes so they marinate well in the green paste. Set aside for a minimum of ten to twenty minutes. The holes on the baby potatoes, also help in the marination.
  • In a kadai, add oil, jeera, and remaining 4 green chilles slit lengthwise.
  • Next add the powders dissolved in water and roast well. After a few minutes, add the potatoes soaked in green ground paste.
  • Add yoghurt and mix in well.
  • Saute on medium low heat very slowly until the green paste is well roasted and coated over the potatoes.
  • Add oil, if you feel that the potatoes begin to smoke. The idea is to slow cook covered with ocassional tossing.
  • Dry roast a spoon of white sesame seeds and powder.
  • When the potatoes are done, sprinkle the sesame powder and toss.
  • Enjoy delicious Hara bara Sookha Aloo Subzi with raw onions and steaming hot Parathas.

HINTS:

  1. When the ingredients are getting pureed, its a good idea to add 1 Tbsp of any light oil like Canola or Sunflower Oil. This prevents the aloo from smoking and catching the bottom of the pan apart from helping in the marination process.
Side Dishes for Rotis/Dosas/ Naan.

Aloo Dum (Baby Potatoes in Spicy Red Gravy served with lemons and onion slices).

Shoba19 Comments
Aloo Dum
Aloo Dum

Aloo Dum has always been a favourite of mine when we were little kids. The concept of whole baby potatoes was something very novel and so this was a dish that was always on the top of my favourites. Amma used to make Kutty Aloo Fry with the baby potatoes, which was also a delicacy to be had with steaming hot Bisi Bela Bath or Araithu vitta Vengaya Sambar.

During my short stint in Bangalore one of my friend`s mom made such awesome Aloo Dum. Her mother learnt it from the Nawabi cooks in Hyderabad in those days and aunty had carefully passed on her recipe to me.

The actual recipe calls for dry coconut but I did not have it ready in my pantry today. The recipe tastes just as great. Try it and you will realise that it is even better than the restaurant style Aloo Dum served with a lot of grease!!!

Chopped Tomatoes.
Chopped Tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg of Baby Potatoes.

1 Big Red Onion.

1 Big Homegrown Tomato or 2 Roma Tomatoes.

Ginger 1 inch

Garlic 3 Pods

Dry Coconut – 1 Tbsp.

Dried Kasuri Methi – 1 Tbsp.

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder.

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder.

1/2 tsp Jeera Powder.

1/2 tsp Dhania Powder.

1/4 tsp Methi Powder.

1 Tbsp Broken Cashew pieces.

Salt to taste.

Chopped Pudina

Chopped Cilantro.

3/4 – 1 cup Tamarind Water.

Cloves, Bay Leaf, Jeera  etc for seasoning.

Lemon quarters and sliced onion to serve.

PREPARATION:

  • Wash the baby potatoes in water and prick  them on both sides with a fork. This is to enable them to cook well in the salted water. Keep the skin on.
  • Cook the baby potatoes in salted water to which you can add a bay leaf and 1 or 2 cloves. Cook to one whistle only. Set aside.
  • In a kadai, add oil and saute the onions well. Set aside to cool.
  • In the same kadai, saute the chopped tomatoes and set aside to cool.
  • In the mixer grind the following: Sauted Onions, Dry coconut, Garam Masala Powder, Garlic, Ginger, Jeera Powder, Dhania Powder, Methi Powder, Cashews.
  • Make sure that they are all ground to a smooth paste nad keep aside.
  • In the kadai, add 2-3 spoons of oil, jeera a clove, bay leaf and immediately the ground paste. Saute the paste in oil until most of the raw smell is gone.
  • Now add the sauteed tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, chopped cilantro and pudina and stir well.
  • After a few more minutes, add the cooked baby potatoes and stir in well for a few more minutes.
  • Now add the tamarind water in the kadai and keeping the flame on medium low allow to cook covered.
  • The aim is to allow the aloo to get cooked in the kadai, until the oil seperates and to keep it also covered to lock in the aromas.
  • When the oil seperates, switch off the flame and serve HOT with parathas or phulkas. or simple Tiranga Pulav.
  • Restaurant style ALOO DUM is served with lemon and sliced onions.

As the oil seperates..
As the oil seperates..

HINT:

This could also be made in to a dry starter entree by cutting down the tamarind water and allowing to saute until the gravy is absorbed on a slow flame. Alternately, bake it in the oven covered with foil at 400 F for 3-4 minutes. Crunchy but soft Aloo Dum Dry is ready!!!

Aloo Dum served with piping hot phulkas are packed and sent to Viki`s Kitchen for her “Side Dish for Chapathi” Event which is on until Sep 15`th 2009.

A side dish for chapathi
A side dish for chapathi