Potato Curry - Kerala Style

Ingredients

1. Medium sized Potatoes - 3 
2. Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
3. Onion - 1 (finely sliced)
4. Green chilli - 2 (cut into small pieces)
5. Ginger - 1/4" piece (finely chopped)
6. Butter - 2 table spoons
7. Cumin seed - 1 tea spoon
8. Asafoetida - a pinch
9. Cilantro/Coriander - 4 strands of leaves finely chopped
10. Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon
11. Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon
12. Turmeric - 1/4 tea spoon
13. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
14. Salt - 1 tea spoon or as needed
15. Water - 2 1/2 cups
16. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoon

Method :

1. Wash and cut the potatoes into cubes and boil them in 2 cups of water till they get cooked.
2. Peel the skin off the boiled potatoes.
3. In a saucepan, take 2 tablespoons of butter, add asafoetida,cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4. Add onions ginger,green chillies and fry till the onions turn brown
5. Add tomatoes and fry them for 2 minutes.
6. Add boiled potatoes,1/2 cup of water to this mixture and let it boil for a minute with closed lid.
7. Add turmeric, salt, cumin,coriander and red chilli powders, mix and cook with the closed lid for 1 minute.
8. Add cilantro and lemon juice to the cooked mixture, switch off the stove and let it cook with the closed lid.
9. Wait for 10 minutes and then serve with rotis to enjoy the flavors.

Potato Fry / Alu Fry

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

1. Potato - 2
2. Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
3. Curry leaves - 6
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
6. Turmeric Powder - 1 tablespoon
7. Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
8. Salt as required
9. Oil - 2 tablespoons
10. Asofaetida - a pinch
11. Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,once they start spluttering, add asofaetida and curry leaves.
• As they are frying, add cut garlic pieces and fry till they turn brown.
• Meanwhile cut the potatoes into quarters and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes,add the potatoes to the fried garlic mixture.
• Close the lid and stir the vegetable every five minutes to prevent from being charred.Once the potatoes become soft, add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, lemon juice and cook in low flame and closed lid for 3 minutes.

Note : I toss a tea spoon of tomato ketchup at the end to give it a tangy taste, but its purely optional.