Dish of Fried Potatoes
(click to enlarge)

Fried Taro or Potatoes


India - South   -   Chepangkizhangu Roast
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 5 side
**
45 min
Yes		 Much like American pan roasted potatoes but with a lot more flavor. In Southern India this recipe would be made with Taro. Serve warm or at room temperature, a good buffet dish.

2-1/4
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1
1
1
1
3
1/8
few
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4
1/2
3/4
1/2
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t
t
t
t

t

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T
t
t
T
Potatoes (1)
-- Spices
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Chana Dal (2)
Urad Dal (2)
Chili, dry (3)
Asafoetida (4)
Curry Leaves (5)
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Oil (6)
Turmeric
Salt
Sambar Powder (7)  
PREP   -   (25 min - 8 min work)
  1. Peel POTATOES and cut into cubes 3/4 to 1 inch on a side. Put them in a pot with plenty of lightly salted water, bring to a boil and cook until the cubes are just cooked through. Drain well and hold until needed.
  2. Stem CHILIS and break in half. Crush CHANA DAL lightly into pieces similar to the Urad Dal. Mix together All Spices items.
RUN   -   (35 min)
  1. In a large, well seasoned iron skillet or similar, heat Oil hot. Stir in Spices mix (careful, the Curry Leaves will splatter a bit) and fry stirring until mustard seeds start to pop.
  2. Stir in Potatoes, Turmeric and Salt. See also Note-8 for method.
  3. Fry over decreasing heat, turning gently every few minutes until potatoes are nicely golden (about 30 minutes). It should not smoke at any time.
  4. Sprinkle with Sambar Powder and serve warm. If you think it's already as hot as your guests can take, you can skip the Sambar Powder without ruining the recipe, but I prefer the extra flavor. In my opinion, a sprinkle of lime juice would go well with these too.
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      I use White Rose, which are firm enough to survive the frying without crumbling. Red potatoes are a little more delicate but could work. For details see our Potatoes page. If you use Taro (available in markets serving any community of tropical origin), the process is pretty much the same. For details see our Taro / Colocasia page.

  2. Dal:

      Chana is peeled and split chick peas (the small Indian ones); Urad, (black gram) are tiny and very white, though the beans they are split from are black. For details see our Beans, Peas & Lentils page.

  3. Chili:

      Dry red Thai chilis or Arbols will work fine and make the dish fairly hot. If you have doubts, use the common Japones which are not as hot. For details see our Indian Chilis.

  4. Asafoetida - Hing:

      This is the resin of a giant fennel plant, used in India by sects forbidden to eat onions or garlic.   Caution: there are two forms: Pure Hing (asafoetida beads or ground) and the more common "Hing Powder". The "powder" is heavily cut with rice flour. The amount given here is for pure asafoetida. Use about 3 times as much if what you have is the "powder" form, and stir into temperings at the last moment. For details see our Asafoetida page.
  5. Curry Leaves   These fresh leaves are necessary for the true flavor of southern India, and are now reasonably available in Indian markets, at least here in California. Dried ones aren't of much use. If you don't have them you will have to leave them out - there is no acceptable substitute. Use caution with how many you use, because some people don't like the resinous taste. For details see our Curry Leaves page.

  6. Oil:

      Coconut oil is appropriate for the region, and what I use - though our de-odorized coconut oil from the Philippines is a little different from what they use in southern India. Pure Olive Oil (not virgin) can also be used.

  7. Sambar Powder:

      This is a little different from the Porial powder called for by the original recipe, but pretty similar. so why stock yet another masala? Here's our recipe for Sambar Powder.

  8. Method:

      I'm usually making this with 5 to 7 pounds of potatoes, so I do it a little differently than in India. I cook and drain the potatoes as above. I heat the appropriate amount of oil to 400°F/200:°C in a smaller skillet and pour in the Spices mix. When the curry leaves have settled down and the mustard seeds start to pop well I pour it all into an electric skillet and add the Potatoes, Turmeric and Salt. I then fry at abut 275°F/135°C, shuffling them around frequently until lightly browned. The electric skillet is very good for frying potatoes, it's non-stick, has excellent temperature stability, and it leaves the stove free for other uses. The photo example was pan fried, thus not so evenly browned.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required, tt=to taste
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