Ah Potatoes! Indian Cuisine Takes Them To A New Level

I love potatoes. I can’t think of a way potatoes could be cooked that I wouldn’t like. Fried potatoes, especially in the morning are a favorite. I thought I’d had fried potatoes just about every way possible until I was browsing a favorite Indian market and discovered a small packet of Potato Sagu. It was a spice mixture for a fried potato dish. My love of potatoes and my enjoyment making Indian dishes came together on this one.

The next morning, a gray Sunday, I peeled and set three medium Russet potatoes on to boil. It called for 250g (which a Google search revealed was about 8 ½ oz. or two small potatoes. I decided that three medium would, for me, take the spices and ingredients quite nicely and I was right, besides, I wanted more potatoes.  While they simmered, I chopped 1 med. onion and 1/3 of a jalapeno (without seeds). In a small dish I placed a teaspoon of crushed garlic (I keep a jar in the fridge).

The unusual element in this recipe was 1 tsp. Bengalgram Dahl. A discussion with a young fellow shopping the store informed me that it was dried chickpea. For the recipe it would be ground to a powder. Not having dried chickpeas, but having some Masoor Dahl (split orange lentils) on hand, I put some in my Krups coffee grinder dedicated to spices. (Don’t put aside this delicious dish for the lack of a teaspoon of something. If you have lentils or dried peas of any kind (dahl) grind enough for the recipe. Even though purists might cringe, I believe that for this element, because so little is used, flour, esp. whole wheat flour, could be substituted. Also, as Indian dishes often include such a variety of spices and textures, if  you leave this out, it wouldn’t be missed.)

I put the 3 teaspoons of the Sagu Masala called for into a small dish (3 to 4 are called for and for a first time with Indian dishes I tend to go with less.) The ingredients in the Saga Masala (spice mixture) are: Sugar, Coriander powder, Red chili powder, Turmeric powder and Asafoetida (a white powder offering flavor reminiscent of leeks that available in Indian markets made from a perennial herb grown in Afghanistan and processed in India).

I set out mustard, lemon juice and put a few tablespoons of water in a dish.

This is how I’ve learned to enjoy making Indian dishes. I set out the ingredients ready to be added then things go together very easily and at the right time.

Draining the potatoes, I mashed them with a hand mixer right in the kettle, adding some butter (not called for).

With my large electric frying pan on med high, I added about a Tablespoon of cooking oil. When hot I added a teaspoon of mustard and the ground dahl stirring it together as it began to fry. Very quickly, I added the onion, garlic and jalapeno stirring the mustard, dahl throughout. I fried the mixture until golden brown and the onions were soft. To this I added the Sagu spice mixture fully stirring it in. It called for lemon juice and salt to taste. With no experience, I added about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and about 6 shakes of the salt shaker. Finally, the potatoes. I folded the mashed potatoes into the onion, ginger, garlic, spice mixture and began to fry it. Ah, the aroma. It called for water "to bring it to the right consistency". Not knowing the “right consistency”, I began adding a little and watching the texture of the mixture. I ended up adding a couple tablespoons water. (Next time I'll save some of the potato water for this).

If you eat this right away, it will have more, spicy heat. As it sits awhile, the “heat” mellows but there is a nice tang. If you like heat, add more of the pepper than I did.

I put some in a dish, topped it with a bit of butter for richness and it was one of the best potato dishes I have ever tasted. It had personality; it had dimension. Wow is all I could say. What a treat. My husband suggested that it would be a great basis for a hash. I happened to have a piece of left over roast in the refrigerator so chopped it up and incorporated it into the potatoes. I'll have a hard time making a hash the old salt and pepper way again.

These potatoes would make a perfect side dish for an Indian or any other meal where potatoes would be a good addition. I could see making them ahead and serving them for breakfast.

If you are used to American fried potatoes made with salt and pepper, maybe some chopped onion, and are concerned about the “taste” of all those spices and the ginger, you will be amazed. They blend; none of them are overt or intrusive. They create an overall pleasant complexity of taste. If you don’t like hot spice tang, leave out the pepper.

If you love potatoes like I do, though, I challenge you to extend your potato repertoire into an Indian Potato Sagu.

(No, you don't have to locate an Indian market (though you might love the adventure). Amazon.com has the Potato Sagu I used: Potato Sagu on Amazon)