A piece of fresh ginger, about 1 ½ inches square, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp whole cumin seeds
½ fresh hot green chili, finely sliced (optional), or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Wash the potatoes well, but do not peel. Quarter them lengthwise, then dice them. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.
Put the ginger in the electric blender with the turmeric and 3 Tbsp water. Blend at high speed until smooth.
Heat the oil in a 10-12 inch heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the whole cumin seeds, and after about 10 or 20 seconds, when they change color, add the paste from the blender and cook for about 1 minute. Put in the sliced green chili if you are using it and cook another 30 seconds.
Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot. Fry them, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir. Put in the cilantro, lower heat a bit, and fry another 5 minutes, stirring gently. Add the salt, garam masala, coriander, lemon juice, cayenne pepper if you are using it, and 3 Tbsp warm water. Stir, scrape bottom gently, and cover. Reduce flame to very low and let the potatoes cook for about 25 minutes, until done. Stir very gently every 10 minutes or so.
To serve: Lift out carefully and serve in warm shallow dish or platter. Try these potatoes with roast pork or lamb. They are very versatile in an Indian meal and can be served in an all-vegetarian lunch…—or they can be served with almost any meat or poultry dish.
Notes
Recipe borrowed from Madhur Jaffrey’s book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking.
For more amazing recipes featuring vegetables from your CSA boxes, visit our recipe archives!
