Feb 2, 2012

Easy Indian


We recently had friends over for a casual dinner and we wanted to save some time by not cooking the full meal. So instead of spending all day cooking (we didn't have the time that day), we ordered a stack of tandoori chicken pieces from our fantastic local Indian place together with some raita and the best lamb naan bread I've ever tasted (it is seriously worth bragging about).

To this growing feast I added a tomato and onion salad and these spiced indian potatoes. This recipe is from the original Food Safari cook book and is adapted from the recipe for Gujarati Potatoes.


There is rather a large variety and quantity of spices in this recipe but don't let this scare you off. When you bite into the potatoes, you are not overcome by the spices. Instead, there is a well balanced harmony between them, each working with the other and none taking away from the humble potato.


Ordering part of the meal was a really stress free way to entertain. But adding some home made side dishes still gave a nice touch to the meal. We had a great time sharing this delicious meal and no one minded that it wasn't a cooked from scratch dinner party menu.

Spiced Indian Potatoes
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Recipe adapted from Food Safari cook book for Gujarati Potatoes

Ingredients:
500gm baby potatoes
2 heaped Tbs desiccated coconut
1 heaped tsp black mustard seeds
1 heaped tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp chilli powder
S&P
2 Tbs vegetable or any flavourless oil

1. Chop the baby potatoes into rough half inch cubes (there is no need to peel the potatoes)
2. Steam or boil the potatoes for 10 minutes until just tender. Drain well once cooked and set aside.
3. In a large hot pan over medium heat, add the oil. Once oil is hot, add all the spices and fry for a minute until the spices are toasted and aromatic.
4. Add the potatoes to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes stirring often.
5. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with chopped fresh coriander if desired.

5 comments:

yummychunklet said...

Looks delicious! And I love the plate of spices.

Asmita said...

Love potatoes and this Indian preparation looks fab!

Viola @ Project Sweet Stuff said...

Absolutely LOVE potatoes, the most versatile veggie... Just can't go wrong! I'd love to see a whole series of posts of the things! x

Hotly Spiced said...

Those potatoes must have been delicious with all those spices. Lots of lovely flavours there.

Tricia said...

Thats a great idea ordering part of the meal and suplementing it with home made sides.

I'll definately keep that trick in mind :-)