An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [75]
Potatoes with asafetida and cumin
SERVES 4–5
This was one of the most popular potato dishes in our family. It is a “wet” dish and needs to be served in small individual bowls. It is very good—and easy to make.
4–5 medium-sized potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
⅛ teaspoon ground asafetida, or ⅛–inch lump asafetida
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1–2 dried hot red peppers (optional)
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ cups canned tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
Wash, peel, and quarter potatoes. Put them in bowl with cold water to cover.
In 2–3-quart pot, heat oil over medium heat. As it heats, put potatoes in colander to drain. When the fat is hot, put in the asafetida; after it sizzles (5 seconds), add the cumin seeds; when they sizzle and change color (5 to 10 seconds), add the red peppers, which will begin to change color in a couple of seconds. Now put in the drained potatoes and the turmeric. Fry the potatoes for about 2 minutes, stirring them now and then.
Now put in 2 cups water, tomato sauce, and salt. Bring to boil. Cover and allow to simmer very gently for about 1½ hours.
To serve: Take to the table in a deep dish. Give each person a little bowl to serve himself the potatoes as well as the sauce. These potatoes are best served with pooris, chapatis, or parathas, but they are also good with plain boiled rice and Lamb with Onions and Mushrooms. Leftovers can be put in the blender or mashed to make an excellent soup.
New potatoes cooked in their jackets
SERVES 4–6
In India we get tiny new potatoes which are about ¾ inch in diameter. They have soft skins and are satiny inside. We cook them in many ways, one of my favorites being a dish in which they are cooked whole with fenugreek greens. Since fenugreek greens are unavailable in this country, I have worked out a substitute dish with Chinese parsley. I have also never been able to find the very tiny potato (except once at Martha’s Vineyard), so I just use the regular “new potato” and dice it.
6–8 medium-sized new potatoes (depending on size)
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1½ inches square, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ fresh hot green chili, finely sliced (optional), or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Wash the potatoes well, but do not peel. Quarter them lengthwise, then dice them. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.
Put the ginger in the electric blender with the turmeric and 3 tablespoons water. Blend at high speed until smooth.
Heat the oil in a 10–12-inch heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the whole cumin seeds, and after about 10 or 20 seconds, when they change color, add the paste from the blender and cook for about 1 minute. Put in the sliced green chili if you are using it, and cook another 30 seconds.
Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot. Fry them, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir. Put in the Chinese parsley, lower heat a bit, and fry another 5 minutes, stirring gently. Add the salt, garam masala, coriander, lemon juice, cayenne pepper if you are using it, and 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir, scrape bottom gently, and cover. Reduce flame to very low and let the potatoes cook about 25 minutes, until done. Stir very gently every 10 minutes or so.
To serve: Lift out carefully and serve in warm shallow dish or platter. Try these potatoes with roast pork or lamb. They are very versatile in an Indian meal and can be served in an all-vegetarian lunch with cabbage, Carrots and Peas with Ginger and Parsley, Karhi, and rice—or they can be served with almost any meat or poultry dish. They are very good with hot chapatis and Tomato and Onion with Lemon Juice.
Maya’s potatoes
SERVES 6–8
My sister-in-law makes this dish, so I’ve named it after