Potato fry (Aloo fry)

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup potatoes (½ inch cubes, 250 grams, 2 to 3 medium)
• 1½ tablespoon oil (adjust to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves chopped or crushed
• ½ teaspoon urad dal (optional)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 dried red chili broken (optional)
• ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala or sambar powder
• ⅓ teaspoon salt as needed

Steps

Preparation

1. Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut into small, bite-sized half inch cubes. Leave in a bowl of water until needed to remove excess starch and stop them sticking to one another during frying.
2. Chop or crush the garlic, and rinse the curry leaves and put them aside.

Making potato fry

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast iron pan. When hot, add cumin, mustard, red chili and dal (optional), and fry until the dal is golden.
2. Put in the curry leaves and garlic. Add hing once the garlic has fried lightly.
3. Drain the potatoes, add them to the pan and sprinkle with turmeric. Mix and fry over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
4. For a crisp fry, continue stirring and frying uncovered until fork tender. More oil can be used for better roasting.
5. For soft potatoes, reduce the heat, cover and cook until fork tender, stirring in between to prevent burning.
6. Prick a potato with a fork to check it is completely cooked: there should be no hardness inside. Cook a little longer if necessary.
7. Sprinkle with chili powder, salt and garam masala, toss thoroughly and fry for a minute or two to blend. At this stage, I usually add a tsp of oil so the spice powders coat all the potatoes easily.
8. Offer the potato fry with rice, rasam and sambar.