Jeera Aloo

A simple dish of boiled potatoes that always works as a comfort food for everyone. This dish in fact takes me back to the childhood of the girls where their comfort food was wedges of boiled potato drizzled with a dollop of cheese spread and flavored with black pepper powder and salt. So much so, when one of them got unwell the other will look forward to this treat with glee!

This is one of the dishes that stands out all the time despite no onion or garlic being there to aromatize it and becomes the staple food of those who decide to fast periodically. During fasting one uses rock salt in place of table salt, possibly because it is not processed.

Ingredients

Boiled potatoes 500g

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Black pepper powder 1 tsp

Green chillies 2 (finely diced)

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Amchoor (dry mango powder) 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice 1/2 tsp

Salt 3/4 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Finely diced cilantro leaves 2 tbsp

Roasted cumin powder 1 tsp

Method

• Peel the boiled potatoes and dice them into medium-sized cubes.
• Heat the oil in the wok and let the cumin seeds splutter. Add the diced chilies and turmeric powder and sauté for a minute or two.
• Transfer the potatoes to the wok and saute on a low flame for a few minutes. Add the pepper powder, amchur, and salt and toss it well.
• Add the roasted cumin powder and add lemon juice after switching off the flame.
• Toss well and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Chef’ Note

• If you like the flavor of asafetida add 1 pinch of asafetida along with cumin seeds while tempering.
• Baby potatoes in place of cubed pieces gives a better taste.
• If you like kasuri methi add 1/2 tsp of dry crushed leaves towards the end.
• If you do not like it too tangy skip amchur.