Thursday, January 29, 2009

Jeera alu with peanuts

Imagine....what if there were no potatoes? Can you? I, for one, can't think of my kitchen without potatoes. No, it is not like I put potatoes in everything or I cook potatoes regularly, quite on the contrary. But it is a great comfort to know that I have potatoes in the kitchen. That if need be, I can whip up something quite tasty and filling with very little effort or seasoning. Can't think of any other vegetable that is quite as versatile as the good ol' potato.

I can have potatoes in any form (mashed, dry sabzis, curries, wedges), but my very favorite is the one my mom used to make whenever papa or she observed a fast. It is very similar to jeera alu, but the addition of peanuts takes the taste up by a few notches. You guessed it - I almost never observe a fast, but make this very regularly nevertheless.




Ingredients:

Potatoes - 4 medium sized
Sweet potato - 1, optional but very highly recommended!
green chillies - 2, slit
curry leaves - 7-10
dried red chillies - 2
peanuts - 4 tbsps, roasted and ground to a coarse powder
jeera - 1.5 tsps
lime juice
coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Method:

Pressure cook the potatoes, peel and cut into cubes. Toss with the peanut powder, salt and sugar.

Heat oil. Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the green chillies, red chillies and the curry leaves in quick succession and stir for half a minute. Add the potatoes and stir well so that the masala coats the potato cubes. Add the lime juice and stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring infrequently so that the potatoes get slightly crisp on the outside. Sprinkle some chopped coriander and serve with dal and rotis/rice.

This goes to my own Lets go nuts: Peanuts. Only two days to go, guys, do get nutty!!



12 comments:

  1. lovely yummy aloo..send this to FIC - Yellow

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  2. hi i guess first time here...:-)hve tried potatoes with peanuts i guess marathi veersion ur recipe sounds good,..u can send this for fic yellow event hosted by sunshinemom,.:-)ceeya,..

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  3. I still have not made anything with ground nuts, so i guess will have to miss this one.
    Yeah i too use lot of potaotes. Especially mash potatoes.

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  4. Mmm this sounds yum, wish I could have some right about now :-)

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  5. yup...my kichten is never out of potatoes either. love them! the jeera aalo looks great, but why is it a "almost"?

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  6. Pallavi, thanks for asking why "almost"...I noticed now that I had somehow managed to delete a whole paragraph from the post explaining the almost. To cut a long story short, the first time I made this for my in laws, the MIL said "this is almost jeera alu". Too lazy now to re-write the whole incident, so have resorted to changing the post title!!

    thanks shama and notyet100 (oh I just love your id), but the alu looks yellow because of the light in the room. Nevertheless, sending it!!

    Happy cook, no worries at not sending in anything, I am glad to see you here regularly, your encouragement is all that really matters!

    Usha, wish I could send them to you...

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  7. Without potato is there any kitchen? I rarely touch the potato if i make it is a huge bowl cleaned in a minute:D Now u know why I make rarely, Love the nutty touch to the spud.

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  8. love this potato dish any day!:-)have to try and add peanuts next time..

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  9. No i cannot imagine:-) looks good!

    i missed a few of ur posts.

    Everything delicious esp the kulfi:-) I make mine in the same way.. almost... yes a quick fix kulfi with no compromise on taste, right?

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  10. sounds so nice and yum dear.. let me have the full bowl.

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  11. never thought of adding peanuts in aloo..nice twist

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