Todays recipe is based on potatoes which are cooked in the hilly regions of north india. I came across this recipe years ago and since then its been marked as a favourite in my diary. Simple to cook and made in a jiffy. Best eaten with a soft phulka, the aromatic flavours of saunf( fennel seeds) just hit your palatte in a burst of tasty goodness. I have used baby potatoes in this dish as I find they hold their shape well after steaming or boiling.
Potatoes in any form are a favourite all over the world and adapt so well to any cuisine. Be it the american hash browns, french fries , mashed potatoes.. or the swiss pototo rosetti..or our own Indian cuisine. From the delicious aloo ka parantha in the north to poshto aloo made with poppy seeds in the east to pao wada in the west upto the aloo sabzi stuffed in crispy dosas in the south.
Memories of the humble potato ruling my mothers kitchen still linger. Sundays normally meant having fried potato tikkis in the evenings for snacks while door darshan played some old bollywood movies on our black and white tv sets. Of course the tikkis were served with slices of white bread and fresh mint chutney. And most often than not this snack was filling enough not to have anything more for dinner. Only to wait eagerly for the jelly and custard which was a favourite dessert at home. Left over uncooked tikkis were sometimes made into aloo toasters. Sandwiched between two slices of bread buttered on the outside to be toasted manually on the gas stove in a quaint sandwich toaster. This served with tomato ketchup was good to go for breakfast. No one was fussy about carbohyderates or calories..life was fun and happy go lucky…simple pleasures of life were the norm….oh those good old days….
Do try this recipe, team it up with sindhi dal makhni or any of your favourite dal.
Ingredients
Pahadi aloo sabji
250 gms baby potatoes boiled, peeled and halved.
( or normal boiled potatoes, peeled and cubed)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp saunf ( fennel seeds)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsps freshly ground saunf powder
2 or 3 dry red chillies broken
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 sliced onion
2 tbsp thick tamarind paste
2 tbsp honey
Salt to taste
Chopped corriander leaves
2 tbsps mustard oil
Method
Heat oil in a pan, and add cumin seeds and saunf.
Saute till fragrant.
Add ginger, garlic, dry red chillies and sliced onion
Now add the potatoes and salt
Saute for few mins
Add saunf powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder
Finally add tamarind paste and honey
Mix well…and serve hot , garnished with chopped corriander leaves and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
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