I have a few tricks up my sleeve, including how to prepare potatoes that’ll melt in your mouth, as well as how to clean fresh methi (fenugreek leaves).

My first time cooking with methi

… was a disaster! Funnily enough, it was also a complete accident because I didn’t set out to make methi anything that day.

My mother was in India with my masi (her sister) so I was home with my brother, dad and Bapu (dad’s bother) who was visiting.

With dad and Bapu in our family newsagents all day, my 11-year old self thought it would be nice to prepare dinner for when they got home. My plan was to make Bhaji and Rotli, a simple curry of spinach leaves and chapatis to go with it.

First problem: We didn’t have any fresh spinach. Never mind, I thought. I’d seen my mum make Bhaji with both frozen and tinned spinach before and it was always great. To the freezer I marched.

I pulled a bag of the solid leafy greens from the freezer and got to work. I chopped the garlic, did a tadka of cumin seeds, asafoetida and fresh chillies. It was going famously. I felt like a young Tarla Dalal. Finally, a dash of salt and a little taste test…

The spoonful of Bhaji went into my mouth and then immediately came back out. Wretched. It was as bitter as Cobra Kai’s sensei Kreese in The Karate Kid.

So what went wrong?

I dug the packet of frozen spinach out of the freezer and re-read the label. ‘METHI BHAJI‘. My bubblegum brain had made a solo fenugreek leaf curry!

If this happened to me today, I’d simply chuck in a load of cooked potatoes but when I was first starting out, my instinct was to cut my losses and make something else.

My dad, Bapu and brother came home and sat down to the plan B Kadhi and rotli I had made last minute (Mrs Doubtfire style). They ate the methi bhaji, too. Dad and Bapu said it was great, my brother told me I was “a plonker”.

Did they eat it out of courtesy? Probably. Did that still mean everything to my novice cook self? Absolutely.

Where to buy fresh methi (fenugreek) in the UK

I recommend visiting your local fruit and vegetable market. South Asian food shops and greengrocers will certainly have bunches of fresh methi.

Many large supermarkets now stock fresh methi in their ethnic produce sections.

How to clean fresh methi

How to freeze fresh methi

Follow all the steps in the how-to above. Ensure the methi leaves are completely dry before packing into a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for 6-8 months.

Is methi the same as fenugreek?

Yes. Fenugreek is the English name for Methi (its’ name in Hindi, amongst other South Asian languages).

Can I use dried (kasoori methi) in place of fresh methi?

No. I don’t recommend replacing the fresh methi in this recipe with dried. The flavours differ a great deal. Dried methi is extremely potent and fresh has a mild, grassier flavour, so they cannot be used interchangeably.

Other recipes you may like:

• Softest-Ever Roti (Chapati/Rotli)
• Methi Thepla
• Aubergine Ravaiya
• Bateta nu Shaak
• Garlic Chutney

My star ingredient: fresh turmeric

My recipe includes juliennes of fresh turmeric for both a golden colour and a bright, citrusy flavour. They balance the earthy, caramel-bitterness of the fenugreek, while the potatoes make it a meal.

3 tips for preparing fresh turmeric

1. Wear gloves! It’s wise to glove up before you begin handling fresh turmeric. The colour will stain your hands and nails for days.
   
2. Protect your work station. As well as covering your hands, it’s a good idea to lay down newspaper or an old tea towel before you start. This will save you having to bleach them back to their normal colour.
   
3. Use a teaspoon to scrape off the skin. Just like preparing fresh ginger, the most effective and least wasteful way to peel fresh turmeric is with a teaspoon.

How to prepare potatoes for 20-Minute Aloo Methi

My cooking medium of choice may be an unconventional one, but it s a fast and easy method: Microwave!

I simply wash my potatoes, prick the skins with a fork and them microwave for 8 minutes or so, until they’re soft inside. The cooking time will vary depending on your microwave so keep an eye on them.

Once they’ve cooled, I peel them (keep the skins on if you prefer) with my fingers. They’re really easy to peel because the potatoes shrink slightly and the skin becomes loose.

What type of potatoes should I use for 20-Minute Aloo Methi?

Any variety of potato will work in this recipe, although floury potatoes for baking such as Maris Piper or King Edward produce the best results.

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20-Minute Aloo Methi recipe

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20-Minute Aloo Methi

Have my vegetarian 20-Minute Aloo Methi curry on the table faster than it takes to order a takeaway! This Indian potato and fenugreek leaf curry, also know as Aloo Methi ki Sabji is a weeknight staple in my home alongside roti.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword fenugreek leaves, methi, potatoes, turmeric

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

• 750 g potatoes about 4 large
• 100 g fresh methi leaves only, chopped
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 4 cm piece fresh turmeric julienned
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2-3 chillies slit in half lengthways
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder optional
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large fresh tomato roughly diced
• 1/2 tsp garam masala optional

Instructions

• Wash the potatoes and price the skins all over using a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool. Peel and cut into 2cm/1-inch pieces.
• Heat the oil or ghee in a large pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Next, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds and then add the slit chillies, fresh turmeric juliennes and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add chilli powder, fresh methi and salt. Stir to combine. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time for 4-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir well to coat the potatoes in the spices and methi. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes before adding the tomatoes. Add optional garam masala at this stage. I often prefer it without! Stir briefly and then remove from the heat.
• Serve hot with roti or paratha.

Video

Notes

• Fresh turmeric gives this curry wonderful flavour and colour. If you are unable to use fresh turmeric, add 1/2 tsp dried ground turmeric along with the chilli powder.
• Do not replace fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) with dried/kasoori methi in this recipe.
• Any variety of potato will work in this recipe, although floury potatoes for baking such as Maris Piper or King Edward produce the best results.

Pin this recipe for later! 20-Minute Aloo Methi

If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Bateta nu Shaak

Love Sanjana

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Ever since I heard about the South African Melktert (Milk Tart) I knew I had to try it. It’s creamy, custardy and packed with delicious cinnamon flavours on top of a shortcrust pastry base. What’s not to love?

Much like a British custard tart, the Melktert is made with egg yolks for that famous custard-like wobble. As you know, yolks are not my setting agent of choice – I’m going rogue and using my own blend of cornflour (cornstarch) and wheat flour blended with milk.

I was inspired by Paul Hollywood’s show City Bakes on Food Network, where he makes an Earl Grey Melktert in Cape Town. The show is fantastic and you can watch the episode tonight, 15^th May on Food Network. Give it a watch and try out a take on the famous Melktert.

Since it began, I’ve boycotted the rise of the turmeric milk fad that seems to have infiltrated every coffee shop and café in sight. It should be simple, a feel-good tonic to make you feel better after a rough day, not flashy, expensive and inaccessible. After all, the ingredients are basic. Haldi Doodh is a healing tonic Indian mums stir up for children when they’ve got sore throats and coughs. As a natural antiseptic, turmeric (either fresh or dried and ground) was always in the kitchen. As a child I would reluctantly down mugs of hot Haldi Doodh because it didn’t taste like the banana milkshake I’d hoped for it to be. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t Nesquick. As much as I now love haldi doodh and the soothing properties it carries, I don’t believe in paying a shed load for it when I can make it at home.

The beautiful thing is that when fresh turmeric is combined with milk, cardamom and black pepper, you get the most miraculous flavour and aroma of fresh mango. Just a little bit, not too much, blitzed with the milk for a pretty yellow colour. Once cooked, the colours will transform from daffodil to deep amber.

This tart is as sweet and flaky as it is fruity, spicy and ever so slightly bitter. Each element is perfectly balanced, just how I like it.

Eggless Turmeric Milk Tart
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry:
240g flour
140g unsalted butter, frozen and grated whilst still frozen (this helps incorporate it faster and keeps everything cold)
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp cold water

For the turmeric milk filling:
415g evaporated milk
395g can condensed milk
50ml whole milk
3cm piece turmeric, peeled (this will stain so wear gloves!)
3 cardamom pods, seeds lightly crushed
6-8 black peppercorns, seeds lightly crushed
1 tsp vanilla extract
40g flour
40g cornflour
50g salted butter
Ground cinnamon to dust

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2. To make the pastry, place the flour, salt and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add the grated butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the cold water and pulse until the mixture just comes together. Wrap the dough in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Take a 25 x 3.5cm loose bottomed tart in with fluted edges. Roll the pastry out to about 35cm wide, 4mm thick. This will ensure you have enough overhang at the edges. Place the roll dough into the tin and allow it to hang over the sides. Use a spare ball of dough to gently press the dough into the corners and sides to line the tin. Don’t worry if you make a tear, just patch it up.

4. Place a piece of greaseproof paper over the dough and fill with baking beans, rice or any dried lentils you have. Bake for 10 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the baking beans, greaseproof paper and prick the pastry all over with a fork. Turn the oven down to 120°C and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and dries out completely.

6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Put the oven back up to 160°C

7. To make the filling, place the flour and cornflour into a large bowl. Add 50ml whole milk and stir to make a thick paste.

8. Place the evaporated milk in a blender (I used a Nutribullet), and add in the fresh turmeric, cardamom, peppercorns, vanilla and condensed milk. Blend until super smooth, about a minute.

9. Slowly whisk the evaporated milk mixture into the flour paste until smooth. Pour the mixture into a pan and cook on a medium-low heat until slightly thickened (think cheese sauce consistency). Add the butter and whisk.

10. Pass the mixture through a sieve and into a jug to remove any lumps.

11. Place the tart shell on a baking tray and place it in the oven. Pull the shelf out and pour the filling into the shell. Push the shelf back in gently and close the oven door. Bake for 30 minutes.

12. Crack the oven door open and allow the tart to cool in the oven.

13. Dust the tart with ground cinnamon and decorate as you wish. Serve warm.

Love Sanjana

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Served in paper cones with fried green chillies for that ‘bhajia on the beach’ feel

I’ve always been a sucker for ordering too many starters in restaurants, especially when it involves Crispy Potato Bhajia (paper-thin potato slices coated in a bespoke spice blend), Hara Bara Kebabs (pea and cauliflower cakes) and Daal Kachori (spiced daal in semolina pastry). I’m told my eyes are bigger than my belly and I’ve never been one to argue with legitimate allegations.

Although I love eating out as much as I love home cooking, there’s always one question lingering on my lips as I attempt to make a choice of which restaurant to spend my Friday evening in  – do they serve decent starters?

In all honesty, I think I can judge an Indian restaurant menu by the starters they have to offer. If the vegetarian appetisers are limited to samosas and onion bhajis (to this day, I still don’t understand onion bhajis – what are they and where did they come from?) I know I’m not going to be dazzled by their selection of mains. This is something I’ve learnt from eating out far more than I can afford to.

With other cuisines, I’m rubbish at menu guessing but I’m often just delighted if the vegetarian options stray from tired goat’s cheese salads or baked aubergine mush. In any case, I’m often at my happiest when there are three gorgeous starters I can get stuck into whilst everyone else enjoys their mains.

An Ode to Bhajia

One of my favourite restaurants to do this at is the revered Maru’s Bhajia House in Wembley, London. With its humble green sign and modest dining area, the café is nothing elaborate but with a shining reputation going back decades, I guarantee you’ll never get a better bhajiyu (vegetables, often potatoes, deep fried in a spicy batter). Their signature bhajia have a closely-guarded recipe, brought to the UK from Nairobi by a family who must have loved seeing people’s smiling faces when they dug into a plate of these beauties. For East African Indians, Crispy Bhajia were the cupcake of their time. To some extent, they probably still are.

Many have tried to create the original version in their own homes – whether they were successful or not is probably kept as much a secret as the Maru’s Bhajia House recipe itself.

Here’s my version of the classic. Share this dish with family and friends; I’ve known many a chap risk stinking out entire London buses to get home and share Crispy Potato Bhajiya with their loved ones. Now that’s what I call dedication.

Crispy Potato Bhajia with Hot and Sour Cucumber Chutney

For the bhajia:

400g unpeeled potatoes, sliced thinly (I used a mandolin)
150g chickpea flour
60g rice flour
1/2 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
6-8 green chillies (or to taste), pounded into a paste
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
6 heaped tbsp fresh coriander, chopped very finely
½ tsp carom seeds
2 ½ tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp sugar

Oil to deep fry

For the cucumber chutney:

200g cucumber
200g fresh tomatoes
140g carrot
1 clove garlic
8-10 tbsp fresh coriander
6 green chillies (or to taste)
Juice of two lemons
200ml water
1 ½ tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt

Method

1. Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl of iced water.

2. Mix all of the other ingredients for the bhajia. A blend of different flours will give the bhajia a beautifully crisp finish.

3. Drain the potatoes but do not dry them. Immediately toss the potatoes in the flour mixture. The mixture should stick to the potatoes. If it seems dry, add just enough cold water to make the flour coat the potato slices. Allow to stand whilst you make the chutney.

4. Blend together all of the ingredients for the chutney until coarsely puréed. Place into serving bowls.

5. In a large wok, heat the oil to around 190°C and slowly place 1/3 of the potato slices into the pan. Allow to become golden all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Serve alongside the chutney immediately for optimal crunch. I like to serve my bhajia in paper cones for that ‘bhajia on the beach’ feel but maybe I’m just being finicky. Sprinkle with rock salt and chilli flakes if your guests are that way inclined.  

Love Sanjana

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The prospect of an Indian breakfast is sometimes just the kick I need to pull myself from my cosy bed. This usually only ever takes place on weekends or during time-off from the day job, so it’s always a welcome treat.

Along with a spicy breakfast, there’s nothing more satisfying than using up leftovers. This recipe for Dudhi Na Muthyia hits both of those spots. They’re made using grated bottlegourd (doodhi/lauki), cold leftover rice, chickpea flour and a medley of subtle spices. The dumplings are then formed into log-shapes and gently steamed to lock in plenty of flavour and moisture. Once cooled, the cooked muthiya are quickly sautéed with sesame seeds and curry leaves to add that final dimension of flavour and a gorgeously crisp, golden texture.

So many people prefer them straight from the steamer without sautéing them first – perhaps a consequence of impatience more than anything else. I have been known to finish them off before I actually finish off the recipe, not that I should actually be admitting to this.

I add coarse semolina to these steamed dumplings as it gives them a softer texture in the middle and once they’re sautéed, a better crisp on the outside.

Don’t have bottlegourd? Muthiya taste just as good when they’re made with courgettes, cabbage, carrots or even fenugreek. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to play with your food.

My favourite way of enjoying muthiya is with a steaming cuppa sweet masala chai and absolutely nothing else.

Dudhi Na Muthiya
Serves 4-6

 For the dumplings:

1 bottlegourd, grated (about 400g)
260g chickpea flour
1 ½ tbsp coarse semolina
400g cold cooked rice or khichdi
140g plain flour
4 green chillies, minced (or to taste)
2 ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp turmeric
90ml oil, plus more for greasing
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ½ tsp sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

To temper:

2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
6-8 curry leaves
¼ tsp asafoetida
1 tbsp chopped coriander to garnish

Method

1. In a large, deep pan (one that comes with a steaming basket), boil -2L water. Grease the basket with 1 tbsp oil and pop it into the pan so it suspends above the water but doesn’t touch it.

2. Take a large mixing bowl and combine all of the ingredients for the dumplings. Do not add water as the bottlegourd will release plenty as you mix. Keep going, gently squeezing the mixture until you get a batter.

3. One by one, roll into seven logs and place them into the steaming basket. You may need to do them in two batches if your steamer is small. Place a lid on and simmer on a medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle of one comes out clean. Remove the basket from the steamer and allow to cool completely.

4. Remove the logs from the steaming basket and cut each log into 2cm pieces. Set aside.

5. To temper the spices and sauté the muthia: in a large non-stick pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the sesame seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the dumplings and sauté on a high heat for 5 minutes or so, turning every so often – make sure you don’t break them when turning. When golden, remove from the heat and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot. Note: Dudhi Na Muthiya can be kept in the fridge for up to three days, but I doubt these will last that long.

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Sooji or semolina is added to give the bread a crisp finish and it is popularly eaten with Shrikhand at auspicious times. Let me tell you, that is probably one of my favourite ways to serve it. Simplicity at its finest.

What’s your favourite Indian bread and what do you like to eat it with? Leave a comment or share them on Twitter or Facebook.

The post Masala Poori appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Firstly, I’m going to make an attempt at guessing what you’re thinking;

“What the heck are sev and where do I get them from?”

These are great questions, great questions to which I don’t have great answers. I know that’s not very helpful however, I’ll do my best to explain the deliciousness of this mysterious ingredient.

Because you need to know.

Sev are a Gujarati snack, closely related to ‘gathia’ in the way they’re made from chickpea flour and fried. They come in all different sizes and are classed as a ‘farsan’ or savoury snack.

They’re best described as crunchy, nutty and great for sprinkling on top of cassava dishes and spiced yogurts.

In this classic Gujarati recipe I’ve re-created à la KO I’ve used jinni (small) sev which is very traditional and also very cute. The tiny little strands soak up the sweet, tangy and spicy flavours of the rich tomato base.

I used cherry tomatoes because that’s what I had, but you can use any variety of fresh tomatoes you have. A sprinkle of ground cinnamon kisses this dish with the flavours of Gujarat, essential if you’re in the mood for an atypical Indian dinner.

You see Gujarati cuisine is beaming with fresh ingredients and sweet, spicy flavours. Sev tameta nu shaak is a one pan meal and so comforting you hardly need to chew (a sign of amazing comfort food, of course). All in all, it’s very quick, very simple and very satisfying – just how I like it.

You can buy sev in Indian farsan stores, most Indian grocery stores (it will be near the gathia, chakris and other savoury snacks). I’ve also seen them popping up in the supermarket more often, so keep an eye out. If you can’t find them in stores, order them online.

Quick Sev and Tomato Curry (sev tameta nu shaak)
(serves 2-4)

Ingredients

325g fresh tomatoes, roughly pureed
140g jinni sev (small sev)
120g onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
2 tsp concentrated tomato puree
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp cinnamon powder
4-6 tbsp water
Salt to taste
Handful of chopped coriander to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds (wait for them to pop) and then add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, concentrated tomato puree and onions. Saute until the onions become translucent, and then add the pureed fresh tomatoes.

2. Season with chilli powder, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and sugar. Allow to cook down to a fairly thick mixture, and then adjust the texture with around 4-6 tbsp water. Turn the heat off.

3. Just before you’re ready to serve, add the sev to the piping hot sauce and give it a quick and gentle mix through. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve immediately.

I love to serve this with hot, buttered chapattis and absolutely nothing else. However, it’s also great with naan, paratha and puri. Wash it all down with a tall glass of salted lassi and feel your belly release a deep sigh of gratification.

Visit my collection of Gujarati recipes for more classic dishes and recipe inspiration.

For more nuggets of information on regional Indian cuisine, read my article, Unveiling the Magic of Indian Food on foodnetwork uk.

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Great news. No, not great news. Amazing news.

KO Rasoi’s recipe for Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta has been selected as one of the top 100 entries for the Foodista Best of Food Blogs competition. The recipe will feature in a full colour cookbook which will be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing this October. I’ll give you more details as and when I find out information.

How exciting is this for us?! The little veggie blog is taking baby footsteps and I like where it seems to be heading.

Cooking, eating, writing; these are the things that I can use to escape in to a world where my passion for food roams freely and relentlessly. Rather like a starving gerbil on Shandy.

What I would like to do most is thank you all for such wonderful feedback and supportive comments. You are the people that make KO Rasoi shine, not other things like scrummy cheesecakes (although, those are yummy and almost as attractive than you are). Stop blushing.

Moving swiftly on…

In order to celebrate this exciting newsflash we have daal. Don’t make those sighing noises I used to make when I was little and had to eat daal, because this isn’t just any daal. It’s three lentil daal.

And I don’t have to justify that because it tastes marvellous and it’s good for you!

Celebrate the colours of India and happy times with this delicious three lentil daal (triveti daal). These lentils are widely available in all good supermarkets and Indian grocers.

Ingredients
(serves 4-6)

100g moong daal (mung bean daal)
100g urad daal
100g toor daal (pigeon pea daal)
1 ¼ litres hot water
1 large onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
2 hot green chillies, minced, (or to taste)
1 tbsp ghee (or oil)
2 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
200g tin of chopped tomatoes
½ tsp turmeric
½ cup coriander, chopped
Salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the three daals together and boil in the hot water until tender. Hot tip: Adding a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your boiling water will make the daal cook quicker. If your daal mixture is too dry add a little more water but do not drain any water from them. Set the cooked daal aside.

2. Heat the ghee/oil in a large pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, asafoetida, curry leaves, star anise and cinnamon. Cook until aromatic.

3. Add the tomatoes, turmeric and cooked daal mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt. Remove from the heat and add the coriander. Remember to remove the cinnamon stick and star anise before serving.

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Let me introduce you to the most wonderful breakfast/brunch/lunch in the whole entire world. Well, almost. Not counting ice cream. Ice cream IS a breakfast item, right?

Poha (pronounced: puhwa) are cooked, flattened and dehydrated grains of basmati rice. You can find them in most Indian grocery stores packed in regular plastic bags. The bateta part is cubed, deep fried potatoes, but you probably worked that one out already; bateta-potato-bateta-potato-bateta-potato. They do sound similar.

The ingredients in this dish vary from region to region and family to family. I’m making a classic Gujarati version, which of course must be like all Gujarati dishes are: hot, sweet and sour. This dish is very forgiving, so if you want to omit certain ingredients like onions or not add too much chilli then that’s totally up to you. At home we add plenty of peanuts and cashews to bulk the dish up for a more filling meal. If you’re ever stuck for making something for a large amount of people then this is the perfect recipe. You can make a huge amount in one go and feed an army of hungry people.

Bateta poha is great with plain yogurt and a cup of chai, but if you’re feeling a bit fruity then try out a variation with some pomegranate seeds and/or soaked sultanas.

Ingredients

2 tbsp sunflower oil
¾ cup onions, chopped finely
2 tsp cumin seeds
4 medium hot green chillies (more or less according to your taste)
1 tbsp ginger, minced
¼ tsp asafoetida (optional)
1/3 cup mixed nuts of your choice (I used redskin peanuts and cashews)
1 tsp turmeric
8-10 curry leaves
2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups poha (flattened rice)
2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp fennel powder (optional- I like fennel powder)
5 cups half-boiled water
¼ cup chopped coriander

Enough sunflower oil to deep fry

Method

1. Place the poha in a small-holed colander and pour on the half-boiled water. Set aside.

2. Wash and dry the cubed potatoes, then deep fry in sunflower oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and add the chopped onions, ginger, nuts and chilli. Cook until aromatic and the nuts are golden. Do not let it turn too brown.

4. Add the cumin seeds, turmeric, asafoetida and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the fennel powder and the potatoes and mix carefully and thoroughly.

5. Separate the now cooled poha grains gently with a fork and add to the pan. Season with salt, sugar, lemon and pepper. Gently toss in the pan and remove from the heat. Garnish with chopped coriander.

6. Serve to hungry friends and family only if you’ve managed to refrain from scoffing the whole lot after cooking.

Don’t wait for me. Just dig in.

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