Author Notes
It was a pleasant surprise to have my daughter-in-law drop our granddaughter Ayden Maya off so that they could have an evening to themselves. I was in the middle of fixing dinner for us, and knew she had had her supper - so I went ahead and fixed the dinner for the adults. She insisted on eating the potato dish I was experimenting with. She loved it and ate every bit of it - spices and all - hence Ayden's Potatoes.
Almost all the ingredients can be found in Indian grocery stores or on the internet at shops such as info@ indianblend.com. If you purchase the ingredients at a regular store, you are paying too much money for small quantities. The list of ingredients may seem dauntingly long - actually once you buy the seeds etc, they keep virtually forever and can be used for other dishes. Fenugreek in its various forms - seeds, powder and leaves are the key ingredient. These should be used sparingly - or as suggested in the recipe - especially the seeds because they can make the dish bitter. —AnnaChacko
Ingredients
-
4 tablespoons
canola oil
-
1/4 teaspoon
black mustard seeds (Indian Grocery Store)
-
1/8 teaspoon
caraway seeds (Indian Grocery Store)
-
1/8 teaspoon
fennel seeds (Indian Grocery Store)
-
1/4 teaspoon
Nigella (onion)seeds (Indian Grocery Store)
-
1
medium-sized red onion chopped fine
-
4-5
medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
-
pinch
cayenne pepper powder (Indian Grocery Store)
-
1/8 teaspoon
fenugreek powder (Indian Grocery Store)
-
1 teaspoon
dried fenugreek leaves (Indian Grocery Store)
-
2.5+ tablespoons
finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
-
1-2
serrano chillies (fresh) - julienned or diced (Indian Grocery Store)
Directions
-
cut the potatoes into 1/2" cubes. I like leaving the skins on - gives the dish an earthy flavor.
-
heat the oil in a wok on a high flame until almost smoking. Add the seeds (mustard, fennel, fenugreek, nigella and caraway to the oil. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, turn down the flame.
-
Add the fenugreek powder to the oil and cook on a medium flame for 1 - 2 minutes.
-
Add the potato cubes to the wok and stir gently until the cut surfaces turn a lovely golden brown.
-
Add the cayenne pepper powder to the wok, stirring until the potato pieces are evenly coated with the oil and the spices.
-
Push the potatoes to the side in the wok, making a central space in the oil. Now add the onions, turning up the flame to high heat. The idea is to fry the onions NOT caramelize them.
-
Once the onions are fried, mix in the potatoes which have been waiting patiently on the sides of the wok. Add salt to taste.
-
Finally, turn down the flame to medium or low medium. Add the fenugreek leaves, serrano chillies and the fresh cilantro.
-
Serve hot with deep fried flour tortillas or chappaties (Indian flat bread). I prefer the tortillas - because they are cheaper and come in various sizes. If it is too spicy, you can add a dollop of Greek plain yogurt or douse the flames in your mouth fresh squeezed lime juice with ice. Ayden (who is part Indian, part German and part Japanese polished off the contents of the wok without the aid of lime juice or yogurt!!
See what other Food52ers are saying.