Over the past few years, our new family tradition has been to gather on New Year’s Day and make pooris and potatoes, while working on a jigsaw puzzle all day. Pooris are a puffy, deep-fried Indian flat bread and they taste especially good with a spicy, tangy, potato curry. It is one of my favorite meals and my mother made it for almost all of my childhood birthdays!
My mom is such an amazing cook that I wanted to share her recipe for these potatoes with you all, in case you would also like to try making some! So, without further ado, here’s the recipe to Shakunthala’s Potato Bhaji:
POTATO BHAJI
INGREDIENTS
3 medium Russet potatoes cooked in water with skin. Remove skin after it is cooked and
coarsely mash.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon black mustard
1 teaspoon of urad dal
2 whole dry red chilies
2 hot green chili peppers, split
5-6 curry leaves
1 inch fresh ginger finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
2-3 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup water
STEPS
Step 1: Heat oil in a wide pan and first add mustard and when it pops, add urad dal, dry red chilies, green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, onion, turmeric powder, and salt continuing to sauté until the onion becomes translucent.
Step 2: Add water and lemon juice and bring it to boil, then add potato and cilantro while mixing well until it is thick and loose. Transfer to serving dish and enjoy!
And here’s what pooris look like! If you don’t feel like making pooris, you can also enjoy these potatoes with rice or stuffed into a tortilla!
