Potatoes in a jiffy – Paani Aloo

As an Air Force brat, I have traveled the length and breadth of India during my formative years. Every two years we would pack our bags and move yet again.

During one of those trips, I came across a sight that remains seared in my mind. Our train had stopped at a station in Rajasthan for an hour long break. My family got off to stretch limbs and get a drink of water, when I happened to look around.

The platform was teeming with life. Urchins were running around. Stray dogs were sleeping on the benches. People sat or stretched out on their bags to safeguard them from pickpockets and thieves. In the midst of all this din, I saw a Rajasthani couple squatted on the floor of the platform. They were poor but obviously not starving. They were switching trains and awaiting their connection.

The husband was imposing in his traditional Rajasthani garb of a wrapped around dhoti, a beautifully embroidered vest, and a huge turban on his head. His young wife wore a long red skirt embroidered with mirrors, a beautiful blouse cut low, exposing her back and her slender waist. The blouse was held together with strings at the back. Her ensemble was topped off with a veil.

It was lunch time. The young wife squatted on the floor and had in front of her a little gas stove. She pumped it and watched the flames leap. Then she rolled wafer-thin, perfectly round, chapathis (whole wheat bread). She would place each one on the griddle, her movements swift and sure from years of practice. As each chapathi unfailingly puffed up, she would place it very carefully on her husband’s plate. Along with the chapathis, she served “paani aloo” or “liquid potato”.

I watched in amazement as she cooked the entire meal for her husband on a railway platform! And she had done that with such grace, such artistic flair and such concentration in the midst of so much chaos. It was a gourmet meal made by a very poor woman, who was so focused on her culinary art that she was completely oblivious to her surrounding. She was a sea of calm in that pell-mell.

And that was a picture that I never forgot.

In that stranger’s honor, here is my recipe for the “paani aloo” – “liquid potatoes”. I think it looks like the dish she made all those years ago. It certainly tastes good and is a very quick and easy dish to make. When your life is chaotic, just take a deep breath and remember that strange Rajasthani woman who valiantly cooked a meal in all that pandemonium and you’ll do fine!

This recipe for “Paani aloo”, is  yet another low fat Potato recipe that can be made in a jiffy. This is made with just 1 tsp oil and is very yummy. Serve with plain parathas, naan, rice or any other bread.

Here is what you need:
3 large boiled potatoes (mashed coarsely with large lumps)
2 cups water

Spices:
1 tsp red chili powder (I buy the Kashmiri chili powder available in Indian stores. It has a deep red color but is not very spicy)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder (optional)
1 -2 tsp salt (depending on how much water you add)
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

Garnish:
A few sprigs chopped cilantro

Here is how you make this:

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Brown for 20 seconds. Add the coarsely mashed potatoes, water, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Take off the stove and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot over rice or chapathis.

Crisp curried potatoes

Most people have a love-hate relationship with the much-maligned, most beloved spud – the potato. Since time immemorial, the potato has graced mankind’s table as the number one comfort food. The comfort of eating potatoes, spans cultures, cuisines, class and race.

Why is that? For one, it is available year round. Second, it is cheap. Finally, the carbohydrates in potato are simply wonderful in providing quick and immediate energy.

And now – drum roll please! The good news about this beloved spud: no longer is it considered bad for you.

A new analytical method developed by Agricultural Research Service plant geneticist Roy Navarre has identified 60 different kinds of phytochemicals and vitamins in the skins and flesh of 100 wild and commercially grown potatoes. Analysis of Red and Norkotah potatoes revealed that these spuds’ phenolic content rivals that of broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts, and includes flavonoids with protective activity against cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certain cancers. Navarre’s team also identified potatoes with high levels of vitamin C, folic acid, quercetin and kukoamines.

So onward with your love of potato! As long as you eat potato chips and french fries sparingly and stick to recipes that do not load potatoes with fat, you will benefit from potatoes fantastic nutritional value. Here is a time-tested and very very favorite Indian way of eating potatoes. Simple, spicy, crisp and roasted without too much oil and oh! so very satisfying. This is an all time family favorite recipe.

Here is what you need:
3 large potatoes (boiled, peeled and chopped)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp red chili powder (reduce this to taste)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (very good for your health for its anti-carcinogenic properties)
1 pinch asofoetida powder (optional – again very good for your health)
2 tbsp olive oil

Here is how you make this:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to crackle and now add the asofoetida powder and the chopped potatoes. Sprinkle turmeric powder, salt and red chili powder. Lower the flame to medium-low and roast on slow fire until crisp. Turn the potatoes at reasonable intervals.

Enjoy!

The best way to eat these crisp curried potatoes is with Southern India’s favorite Thair sadam (Garnished yogurt rice). Watch out for my recipe for Thair sadam soon.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings!

“You ARE what you eat!” an 8 year-old voice solemnly proclaimed from the back of my car. I swung around to look at my son’s friend, seated next to my son, and nearly hit a curb. Then I turned back to the road and pretended not to hear so the boys could continue with the precocious chatter. Peter went on to say advise my son that if he liked to eat potatoes, he’s going to look like a potato!!

Well, nearly everyone in my family likes to eat potatoes and I am determined that we shalln’t look like one.

If you made the aloo parathas I have described in one of my previous posts, and if you are like me, you would either have extra whole wheat dough left-over or you would have extra spiced potatoes left-over. Now, when you have extra dough left-over, there is no problem at all, just follow the same recipe as aloo parathas and make plain parathas without the stuffing.

But what do you do with left-over potato? I remembered the 8 year-old’s advice when I came up with this recipe. Here you go – enjoy these crisp, nutrient rich aloo tikkis without the added fat and huge amount of calories that normally go with the tikkis. Instead of the traditional shallow fried tikkis (cutlets) these are baked with very little oil. Yeah, potatoes without added fat!

Here’s what you need:
2 cups  spiced potato mixture
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated carrots
2 tbsp Olive oil

Here’s how you make the tikkis (cutlets):

Pre heat oven to 350 F.  Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Make flat cutlets with the potato mixture. Roll each cutlet in more breadcrumbs.

Brush with Olive oil. Place on a greased tray and bake for about 15 minutes. Take the tray out and flip the cutlets over and bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with Tamarind date chutney or ketchup.

The Abominable Weather man

The weather forecast for tonight is freezing rain, sleet and snow. Unfortunately, the American weather man is rarely wrong. I can hear the wind slamming at the windows and the drops of rain ricocheting off the glass. It is dark out. And gloomy. And freezing cold.

Subbu, our cat, made a valiant effort to go on his outdoor prowl as is his wont, but the rain, wind and snow drove him in mewling indignantly. He is bewildered at the ice on the deck and the deep snow that he sinks into when he dares to venture outside. Unlike us, he doesn’t realize that spring does come round at some time. It is his karma! He has now retreated into my son’s bedroom and commandeered the bed. He lies there stretched out across the bed with his paws in the air, his little tongue sticking out, his fur ruffled, dreaming of the time when it was green and warm and lovely outside!

Tonight is one of those nights that make you want to eat something warm and comforting, something that will warm the cockles of your heart and brighten your evening.

It is a night for hot aloo parathas (spiced potatoes stuffed in crusty, warm, hand-made whole wheat bread). I know I had written yesterday saying I would provide the recipe for Brown rice pongal today, but it can wait… Tonight is Aloo paratha night. Try it – I have given step by step instructions with photos and it is a bread so worth trying!

Here’s what you’ll need for the bread:
1 cup whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur whole grain wheat flour – simply yummy!)
Water to knead

Knead the flour either by hand or in an electric mixer into a dough of the consistency that will let you roll it out.

Here’s what you’ll need for the spiced potato:
3 medium potatoes
1 red or white onion (finely chopped)
1 green chili (finely chopped)
½ cup grated carrot (optional)
1 tsp red chili powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala powder

Boil the potatoes. Here’s a tip: do not over boil – boil it until it is soft but does not split open. Over cooking the potatoes will make them take on moisture and it will be hard to roll out proper parathas. Air-cool the potatoes (do not cool using cold water). Peel and mash. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Here’s how to make the parathas:

Heat a non stick pan until hot. In the meantime, make small orange sized balls of the whole wheat dough.Dip the balls in flour and roll out into rounds shaped like a flat tortilla.

Dab the dough round with ½ tsp of oil.

Place a ball of the spiced potato mixture and flatten.

Fold over carefully to enclose the potato completely in the dough. Dip again in flour and roll out carefully (try not to let the potato mixture come out of the dough).

Place the paratha in the hot pan. Cook for a minute on one side and flip over. Coat the partially cooked side with Olive oil. Flip over again and brown the oiled side. While that is being browned, coat the other side with oil. Flip again and brown both sides.

Serve hot with grated carrot and any pickle. I served my parathas with the best homemade lemon pickle in the world (made by my mother-in-law).

Potato, Potaato, Tomato, Tomaato

My lil’ sister Indu, is multi-talented. She is a renowned author and writes very fabulous novels. Call me biased, if you will, but she’s onto her 4th book now and we are all very thrilled about her books. For my readers with a literary bent, here is a link to the review of her 4th book, “In the Convent of Little Flowers“, in the National Geographic.

Now, writing is just one of her talents. The ones I most admire though, are the ones close to my heart: she is a fantastic cook, conscientious home-maker and a simply wonderful mom to her effervescent, sparkling, 2 year old.

As a child, Indu loved potatoes, and she still does. So, when she came over with her family for a visit in the summer, she offered to cook one of her famous potato dishes. One of these days, I expect she’ll write a recipe book about 1001 potato recipes – she has that many up her sleeve! Now, the best part of Indu’s cooking is that it doesn’t require you to go grocery shopping. She’ll simply fling together a scrumptious dish with whatever you have in your fridge and larder.

Taking a page out of her book, I decided to try out a new potato dish, since my son too, has taken after Indu in his taste for potatoes. I looked into my fridge and peered into my larder. I decided to whip up this lip-smacking Cilantro-Cilantro seed Potato dish. The double dose of Cilantro simply smells wonderful. Its like baking cookies when your house on the market for sale. The smells waft through your house making it inviting and homey on a cold winter day.

One of the worst enemies to a potato lover’s waistline is the added fat that is required to cook potatoes. Try this dish – it has only one teaspoonful of Olive oil!

Cilantro-Cilantro seed Potato curry

You will need:
4 small potatoes
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Oil
1 bunch green Cilantro leaves
2 tbsp Cilantro seeds (see attached photo)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2″ piece fresh ginger
1 fresh green or red chili (I use jalapeno or serrano peppers)
1 orange Habenero pepper (because I like it spicy! You can cut this out if you want it mild)

To prepare:
Toast the cilantro seeds on a hot, dry pan until golden brown. Place the Cilantro leaves, toasted seeds, ginger, green chili and habenero pepper in a blender and blend with 1/4 cup water until smooth.
Dice the potatoes. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds until browned. Now add the potatoes and turmeric and stir fry for a few minutes. Add in the sauce and cover and cook on a slow fire until the potatoes are tender.

Serve hot with parathas (Indian hand-made whole wheat bread)