An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [77]
1–3 whole dried hot red peppers (optional)
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garam masala
Boil the potatoes in their jackets at least 2 hours ahead. Leave to cool.
Put ginger in electric blender along with the coriander, cumin, tomato sauce, and 3 tablespoons warm water. Blend to a paste at high speed.
Peel the cooled potatoes. The charm of this dish is that the potatoes are not cut with a knife; they are broken by hand. Break each potato in half, then in half again, and the larger pieces once again. Each potato should be broken up into about 6 to 8 pieces, depending on its size.
Heat the oil in a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the fennel, fenugreek, onion, and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop (20 seconds or so), put in the red peppers. As they darken, put in the paste from the blender. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Now put in the pieces of potato and fry another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1½ cups hot water (from the faucet will do), salt, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower flame, and allow to simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. The sauce should now be fairly thick.
To serve: Sprinkle with the garam masala, stir, and serve in a warm bowl or dish. This tastes best eaten with most Indian breads—pooris and parathas in particular—but it is also good with plain boiled rice, Moong Dal, and Kheema.
Potato patties (aloo-ki-tikiya)
12 PATTIES
These delicious patties are sold on street corners in India pretty much the way candy is sold here. Eaten as snacks or with meals, they consist of mashed potatoes stuffed with lentils and spices.
6 medium-sized potatoes
3 tablespoons yellow split peas (the kind available in supermarkets), soaked overnight in 1 cup cold water and ½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus oil for frying patties
5 fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons trimmed, chopped Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
½–1 fresh hot green chili, finely sliced (optional)
Two hours before dinner, boil the potatoes in their jackets.
While potatoes are boiling, drain split peas. Then boil them in a 1–2-quart pot with 3 cups cold water and ½ teaspoon salt for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander or strainer, shaking it to get out as much water as you can, and invert peas in bowl. Cover the bowl.
In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over a medium flame. When very hot, add the fenugreek seeds, and when they begin to change color (5 to 10 seconds), put in the onions, continuing to fry about 2 minutes until the onions begin to turn brown at the edges. Add the parsley and green chili, and stir another 2 to 3 minutes. Next, put in the drained split peas and ½ teaspoon salt. Keep stirring and cook for about 5 minutes, until all the water has evaporated and the mixture in the skillet seems to become one lump. Cover and set aside.
Peel and mash potatoes with a fork or hand masher. (Do not use a whipping gadget or an electric mixer. Don’t add butter.) A few lumps will remain, but don’t worry—just get the potatoes as smooth as you can. Add 2 teaspoons salt and mix thoroughly.
To form patties: Divide the mashed potatoes into 12 balls. Divide the split pea mixture into 12 portions. Flatten each potato ball on the palm of your hand, put a portion of the split pea stuffing in the center of it, and cover the stuffing with the mashed potato by bringing the outer circumference to the center. Make a ball again. Flatten it gently to have a patty about 3 inches in diameter. Make all the patties this way, covering them on a platter if you are not going to be eating soon. (You can prepare this much of the recipe from a few hours to a day ahead.)
Cooking these patties is an art in itself. In India they are cooked on a tava, a large, slightly curved iron griddle. If you have a griddle, it is really the ideal utensil to use. If you don’t, use a heavy-bottomed skillet, but remember to cook only two or three patties at a time. If you crowd them it becomes