Simple Jeera Aalu

Hey, am back home! Refreshed and Tired at the same time. This trip to India was special in many ways. We stayed with our families for ample time ( although, its still less ), travelled a lot across various cities and I shopped a lot. Yes, so it was Family, travel and Fun. I and S organised a family trip to Rajasthan with both mine and his families. We were there for a week and what a splendid time it was. From Dessert to forts, camps to boating and typical Rajasthani food to Continental, we had it all.

Well, this is not a Rajasthani dish am going to post it out with this now. Since its just 3 days am here and with most of my unpacking still left at the corner, I could only manage to come up with some basic dishes for dinner. And I was surprised why I don’t make them often. Like this Jeera Alu, one of the most popular dishes made with potatoes, indeed a favourite among bachelors. Since its quick, simple and yet tastes great, I am compelled to include it as a side dish for usual Dal-Rice combo. In fact, there was a time during our trip where we were so tired to having Paneer and Dal Makhani that we simply had to order Jeera Alu in a restaurant for dinner. And needless to say, it served its purpose right, filling and light on the stomach.

It can be made with several variations, this is the simplest one I did. Please go ahead and prepare this in Ghee instead of oil to relish the actual taste and aroma of the dish…

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed small
2 tsp cumin seeds, jeera
1 tsp red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder each
Salt to taste
½ tsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Ghee
A handful of Cilantro leaves, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped (optional )

You can include the following things and make Variations:
A handful of Curry leaves
1 tsp of Panch Phoran
2-3 garlic pods, minced
½ tsp Fennel seeds

Method:
Soak sliced potatoes in warm water for 20 min. This will make potatoes more crispy in lesser oil. But drain it properly else it will get soggy.
Heat ghee in the pan, splutter cumin seeds. Add the spices ( except Garam Masala )and fry for a minute.
Add green chillies and stir for a while on medium flame. Add cubed potato and mix well.
Cook on medium flame for 8-10 min stirring in between to avoid sticking. Garnish with Cilantro and Garam Masala before serving.

Notes;
I usually make this with all the variations including curry leaves, garlic, panch phoran etc. Depends really on my mood and stuff available at home that time.