Spicy sauted potatoes with sweetcorn and peanuts

There are thousands of varieties of potatoes in the World and most of us will have certain favourites for certain dishes.  Most of us who cook regularly, will have worked out which potatoes to use for curries, chips, etc.etc.   The ones I used for this recipe are the ones used mostly for making Jacket potatoes - a  variety called Estima.  These potatoes can be baked or boiled and really make great Jacket potatoes.  I love having Jacket potatoes as a quick snack but sometimes, I prefer to have them spicer with a hint of Indian spices.   One of the ways of making the potato spicer is to sauté it with the spices. Everytime, I make this, I experiment with the spices and condiments.  Please use this recipe as a guide but enjoy trying out different varations.

Ingredients:

2 large Jacket potatoes
½  cup of  sweetcorn
½ cup of peanuts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of cummin seeds
some fresh coriander (optional)
1 green chilly (optional)
2 teaspoon lemon and 1 teaspoon sugar to taste (optional)
honey mustard sauce to taste (optional)
Grated cheddar or mozarella cheese (optional)

Method:

1.  Wash the potato and  score it in the middle with a sharp knife.

2.  Boil the potatoes in a saucepan of water or wrap them in a wet kitchen paper and cook them in the microwave.  I prefer to steam them in a pressure cooker.

3. Once cooked, peel the potato, cut them into cubes and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

4. In a frying pan, heat  1 tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds.

5.  Add the peanuts and allow them to brown slightly.

6. Now add the sweet corn .  Add the salt and pepper to the sweet corn.

7.  Add in the potatoes and stir well.

8. Add the sugar and lemon and fresh coriander (and the green chilly if you like hot food) to the potatoes.  If you like honey mustard, add this just before serving the dish.

9. Allow the potatoes to sauté well.

10.  Serve this hot.

11.  If you like cheese, you can sprinkle some grated cheese on top of your potatoes.

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Farari Bateta nu Shak: Potato Curry with cumin

On the days we Hindus fast, there is a list of foods that we are “allowed” to eat. The list - often referred to as farari food - includes all the fruits and nuts, milk and milk products including yogurt. It also includes potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, tapiaco, ragigara flour etc…. In fact, the sumptuous delicacies you can eat in place of everyday food makes you feel that you are having a feast because of the variety you can make.

This potato curry is very easy to make and tastes great on its own or with some plain yogurt. In my family, we usually eat it sprinkled with farari chevdo (recipe to follow soon). Nearly everyone who is fasting will either make chips or farari shak to eat as part of their "farrar" (Sitting down to eat farari food is referred to as sitting down to do "farrar".  When sitting down to eat farrar, you should eat your food patiently and if possible without being disturbed).

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4-5 medium sized potatoes
1 teaspoon gratted ginger
5-6 fresh green chillies 2 chopped finely to add to the curry and 2 or 3 for garnishing
small bunch of coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarse pepper
1 -2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 tablespoons of cooking oil (I used sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
Fresh curry leaves (optional)

Method:

1. Steam or boil the potatoes in their jackets. Best way is to wash the potatoes; then score around the potato across the length by running a knife around the potato. Once boiled, check that they are cooked through and allow them to cool. Once cooled, peel the potato. Peeling is easy if you have scored the potatoes.

2.   Once peeled, cut them into very small pieces.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds go dark, add the diced potatoes to the oil.

4. Add the salt, pepper, chopped green chillies, grated ginger, coriander to the mixture and stir again.

5.   If you do like your curry slightly sweet and sour, add the lemon and sugar and the curry is ready to serve.

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POTATO CURRY FIT FOR A PRINCE (OR PRINCESS!)

In my family - one of my young sons (my prince!) is a very fussy eater!! (Hope he doesn't read my blog!!). He is not keen on a lot of the vegetables so I have to try and disguise them by either using them in soups, lasagnia or even toasted sandwiches. One vegetable he loves is potato. I am forever trying to make a variation of potato curries for him so that he doesn't feel he is getting the same old curry!! Potatoes on their own, potatoes cut in cubes, potatoes cut in slices, stuffed potatoes, potatoes with peas etc... and running out of idea!

I invented this recipe for him one Sunday and he loved it!! He even gave me a compliment in his own way by asking: " Why don't you make such a curry when we have guests? " I hope that you will also enjoy this simple but tasty curry.


Ingredients

6-8 medium potatoes
Half a can of tomatoes or 3-4 fresh tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons yogurt
1 tablespoon oil
Half a teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chilly powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
Half a teaspoon dhana jiru ( mixture of coriander and cumin powder)
Small bunch of coriander
2-3 cloves Grated garlic (optional)


Method

1. Prick the potatoes and boil them in their jackets

2. Remove the skin.

3. Put them under the grill for a couple of minutes, turning them until they get a slight burn marks.

4. In the meantime, heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin to it.

5. Add the tomatoes to it and cook until they look almost like a soup.

6. Add the spices to it – salt, chilly powder, turmeric, the dhana jiru garlic and the coriander.

7. Add the whole potatoes to the mixture.

8. Add the yogurt to the curry and stir well.

9. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice and chappatis.

10. It’s important that you prick the potatoes quite well all over the potato before boiling them. This way, they will soak up all the juices and spices of the curry. Grilling them ensures that the potatoes remain whole in the curry.

11. You can make this curry as spicy as you can handle it. You can also make it sweet and sour by adding lemon and jaggery or sugar to it. You can also add some boiling water to the curry if you would like to have more gravy in your curry.

Cooking is all about enjoying it and making it to the taste you and your family like.

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Juggu Bateta ni Farari Khichedi (Potatoes and peanuts farari khichedi)

On the days we hindus fast,  there is a list of foods that we are “allowed” to eat. The list often referred to as farari food - includes all the fruits and nuts, milk and milk products including yogurt. It also includes potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, tapiaco, ragigara flour etc….

This recipe is a favourite of my hubby and he will use any excuse to fast and ask me to make this juggu ni khichedi. Juggu or njugu is a Swahili word peanut or groundnuts. Some people call peanuts “sing” or mandhvi as well.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4-5 medium sized potatoes
2 cups of peanuts
1/4 cup of cashew nuts
2 cups of plain yogurt
1 teaspoon gratted ginger
2-3 fresh green chillies chopped finely
small bunch of coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarse pepper
1 -2 teaspoons sugar
1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
Fresh curry leaves (optional)

Method:

1. Steam or boil the potatoes in their jackets. Best way is to wash the potatoes; then score around the potato across the length by running a knife around the potato. Once boiled, check that they are cooked through and allow them to cool. Once cooled, peel the potato. Peeling is easy if you have scored the potatoes. Once peeled, cut them into very small pieces.

2. Lightly roast the peanuts and allow them to cool. (Best way is to microwave them for 3-4 minutes Rub the peanuts between your palms and remove the outer pinky brown covering. Save half the peanuts and grind half the peanuts coarsely in a grinder.

3. Add 2 cups of water to the yogurt and mix well.

4.     Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds.   Once the seeds go dark, add the diced potatoes to the oil.

5.   Add the ground peanuts to the potatoes and stir.

6.   Add the salt, pepper, chopped green chillies, grated ginger and sugar to the mixture and stir again.

7. Now add in the yogurt and water mixture to the khichedi.

8. Allow this mixture to cook at medium heat until the yogurt moisture starts to be soaked in.

9. Add in the peanuts and cashew nuts together with fresh lemon juice.

10. Keep cooking this mixture until most of the liquids are soaked up from your juggu khichedi

11. Add the coriander ( and curry leaves)  and serve the khichedi hot.

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Easy peasy potato curry

Today I am sharing with you my easy peasy potato curry.   I tend to make this curry when I come in late from work or have unexpected guests who I want to impress by offering them dinner. Not all the ingredients are necessary for this curry. You can make it as hot or as mild as you like it.

Ingredients for serving 4 people:

4 medium potatoes
half a can of chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato puri
2 or 3 cloves of finely crushed garlic (optional)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or mustard seeds both are acceptable for this recipe.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of a mixture of cummin and coriander powder(optional)
1 teaspoon chilly powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 or 3 green chillies or coriander for serving the curry

Method:

1. Peel and dice the potatoes and soak them in water.

2. Heat the oil and add the cummn seeds and allow them to brown and if using mustard seeds - allow them to pop.  Some cooks use a mixture of cumin and mustard seeds.

3. Drain the water and add the potatoes to the oil. Do this carefully as wet potatoes on oil can make a mess. And you don't want to be splattered with the hot oil.  You could use a slotted spoon to add the diced potatoes to the oil and keep a lid handy to cover the saucepan.  By doing it like this, the potatoes should have enough moisture to cook without getting the dry look.

4. Add the spices - salt, turmeric, chilly powder and garlic.

5. Mix well and transfer to a container which can be used in a microwave.

6. Cook in the microwave for 5 minutes, stir and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Check that the potatoes are getting softer.

7. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puri and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes. Tip: If the curry feels dry, you can add half a cup of water to the tomato mixture before adding it to the curry. I like to have some gravy in my curry so I usually add some water. Also some potatoes can soak up a lot of liquids.

8. The potatoes should now be cooked. Add the lemon juice, sugar and cumin and coriander powder.

9. Transfer the curry to a serving dish, decorate it with coriander or green chillies or curry leaves or dessicated coconut or even some finely chopped onions. Any of these work wonders when you are in a rush and trying to impress!!

10. This curry can be served with chappatis or rice.

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New Potato Curry

I love the taste of new potatoes whether they are just boiled, fried or in a curry.  I made this curry when I had some visitors over Easter.  It turned out to be  favourite with the children.

Ingredients:

12 to 15 small new potatoes

half a can of tomatoes

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1.5 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chilly powder

2-3 fresh green chillies (optional)

half a Teaspoon mixture of ground  cloves and cinnamon powder

a small bunch of coriander

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Method

1.  Wash  the new potatoes and steam them with the peel on.  I used a pressure cooker to steam mine.
2.   Use a fork to prick the potatoes and check that they are cooked.  Allow the potatoes to cool slightly by pouring cold water over the potatoes.   Now gently peel the potatoes. Cooking potatoes this way keep them whole.
3.   Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds to the oil. 
4.  Once the cumin seeds are dark, add the peeled potatoes.  Allow the potatoes to be coated in the oil.
5.  Add the salt, turmeric and chilly powder to the potatoes.  Also add the green chillies if you like them.
6.  Add the honey and allow the potatoes to cook on medium heat .  I like my potatoes to get a nice coating of all the spices.   Now add the half teaspoon of ground cinnamon and cloves powder.
7.  Now blend the can of tomatoes and lemon and pour it over the potatoes. Stir well but gently to avoid breaking the potatoes.
8.  Allow this to cook for 5 minutes.
9.  Sprinkle coriander and serve the curry with some Indian bread.

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STUFFED PAROTHA OR ALU PARATHA

Stuffed parathas are served for breakfast in a lot of parts of India. They are served up with fresh plain yogurt.

I love to eat them with curry for lunch or dinner. They are very easy to make and you can use quite a few vegetables for the filling.   Today's recipe is a simple filling of potatoes, onions, coriander and spices.


Ingredients:

For the filling:

I large and 1 medium potato
1 Onion - finely grated
2 or 3 green chillies - minced
small bunch of coriander - cut finely
half a teaspoon salt
one teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of garam masala (optional)


For the paratha dough:

2 cups of strong wheat flour (often called Atta)
pinch of salt
1 clove of garlic - minced
Some sunflower oil

Method:

For the filling: 

1. Boil the potatoes and mash them using a fork

2. Add in the onions, green chillies and coriander

3. Add in the salt, lemon and sugar

4. Mix well using a fork and leave the mixture covered.

Please taste the mixture and adjust the taste to your preference.

For the dough: 

5.   Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.

6.   Add the salt and garlic to the flour

7.  Add two table spoons of oil to the flour.

8.   Bind the dough  by adding some warm water to the flour.  Keep adding small amounts of water until it comes together as a soft dough almost like play dough.  Knead it well and let it rest for half an hour.

9.   Divide the dough into small balls smaller than a ping pong ball.

10.  Take one ball and roll out the dough to the size of a 3 inch diametre.  Take a small ball of the potato mixture in the middle of the rolled out paratha.

11.      Fold in the edges of the porotha and seal in the mixture.

12.   Using some dusting flour, roll out the porotha.

13.  Cook the parathas gently on a medium to hot griddle or frying pan. 

14.  Once the parathas are slightly cooked on both sides, add a very small amount of oil - using either a spoon or a spray oil and continue cooking the parathas until they are almost golden.

15.  Continue making the porathas and save them in a stack.

16.   Serve the porathas with stuffed vegetable curry or mutter paneer

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VEGETARIAN SAMOSAS: THE KING OF SPICY PASTRIES

Samosas are available in most places in the world as little triangle pastries filled with a variety of fillings - but only a few places make them the traditional Indian style. They can be made as vegetarian or non-vegetarian fillings.  They are eaten as a snack with a cup of tea, served as a starter at some meal or served up in a miniature version at posh receptions and serve as canapés.

I spent about an hour looking at videos on YouTube to see if any one made them the way they should really be made and I couldn’t find one. So here’s my recipe for the traditional samosas – the way I was taught by my dad years ago and I follow the same recipe even today. The recipe is not difficult to make but as with most cooking - preparation is the key to making a good product.  Pastry Schools can help you if you want to learn more about proper food preparation and handling.

Ingredients for about the filling:

3 potatoes
3  carrots
One cup of frozen peas
Half yellow pepper (optional)
A handful of frozen soya bean (optional)
I onion
A teaspoon of blended ginger
2 or 3 green chillies (can be reduced or missed out if you do not like hot food)
Small bunch of coriander
Half tea spoon salt
Half tea spoon chilly powder (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon
Half teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Please note: Some of the spices can be adjusted to suit your personal taste. Also you do not add tumeric to samosa filling.

For the pastry or samosa pad

1 bowl of plain flour
quarter teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of lemon

Method:

1. Add salt and lemon to the plain flour. Add some warn water to the flour to make a dough. (My photograph will give you and idea of how firm to make the dough). Cover and rest the dough.

2. Dice the potatoes, peppers and carrots. (My photograph will give you an idea of how small to chop the vegetables). Add the peas and soya beans to the mixture. Wash the vegetables and leave them in a colander. Dice the onion finely, chop the green chillies and coriander finely but do not add them to the vegetables.

3. Warm the sunflower oil in a saucepan, add the cumin seeds. Once they start to go golden brown, add the vegetables to the oil. Add in the ginger, salt, chilly powder and sugar. Let this mixture cook gently. Try not to add any water to the mixture. Wash your vegetables just before you add them to the hot oil so that there is enough moisture to enable the vegetables to cook. You can cook the vegetables in the microwave if you are worried that the vegetables may get burnt. When using the microwave, cook them for 5 minutes, stir and cook again for 5 minutes. Repeat this until the vegetables are cooked al dente.

4. Add the lemon juice and cook them for a further 5 minutes.

5. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the onions, green chillies and coriander to the mixture. By adding these items uncooked at the end will give the samosas a nice flavour to the mixture. When you eat the samosas, you'll be able to taste all the spices as well as the onions and chillies.

6. Allow the mixture to start cooling down.

Now make the PASTRY to cover the somasas.:

1. Divide the pastry into small balls as shown in my picture below:

2. Take two balls and roll both of them in a circle with to 3 inch diameter.

3. Lightly oil one of the rolled out pastry.

4. Sprinkle some plain flour to the second rolled out pastry. This will resemble a roti.

5. Put one pastry on top of the other as shown in my picture.

In the meantime – warm the griddle or dry flying pan on a warm setting.
6. Sprinkle some flour to this pastry and roll out the pastry in a circle.

7. Cook the pastry on the griddle for half a minute and turn to the second side.( My photographs below will illustrate this). By lightly cooking the pastry, it gets rid of any air bubbles that might be in the pastry.

8. Remove the pastry on a work top and separate the two rotis.

9. Cover the rotis  into two and  finish making the rest of the rotis.

11. Keep all the rotis covered using a clean tea towel.

Now the rotis are ready to be filled with the samosa mixture. Once you get the hang of making the rotis, you can always prepare them and freeze them for when you wish to use them.  Just remember to defrost them correctly.

However, we need to make some “glue” to enable the mixture to remain in the samosas.

For the glue:

Take 2 or 3 tablespoons of plain white flour and add warm water to the flour. Stir the mixture and the consistency should resemble glue. Please see the photographs below:

To fill the samosa:

1. Take the half roti.

2. Using a teaspoon, add some glue on half the semi circle side.

3. Fold it as shown in my pictures below.

4. Fill with samosa mixture.

5. Seal the samosa using the glue.

6. Allow the samosas to rest for half an hour.  If have managed to make extra, you can freeze them at this stage.

7. Heat the oil.

8. Gently fry the samosas in hot sunflower oil until crispy and very light golden.

9. Serve with sweet chilly sauce or coriander and chilly chutney. Or as I mentioned before, just enjoy them with your favourite dip or a cup of tea.

The reason, I call Samosas the king of all pastries is because it does require a lot of preparations but once you have made them, you will not enjoy any readymade frozen varieties ever. They are the best.

The above is the original recipe for making samosas. The pastry made following my recipe makes the samosa crispier and tastier. The pastry is smooth and not bubbly or crumbly. The samosas remain crispy and taste even better the next day.

Additional suggestions:

Once the filling is cooked, you can add cheese like cheddar or paneer to the mixture to give them a different taste.

You can also used the filo pastry instead of making the roti/pads.One of the blogs I follow has a  recipe for using sprouted peas as samosa filling and also a step by step method on how to use filo pastry.  Please  checkout http://nutritionasnatureintended.blogspot.com/2009/12/samosas.html.

You can make toasted sandwiches using this mixture.  Just put the filling between two slices of bread and pop them into your sandwich maker and enjoy them with chilly sauce.