Feb 24, 2008

Arusuvai Friendship Chain and Sindhi Aloo..


The Arusuvai friendship chain has been going on for quite sometime now in India. It was started here, in the US, recently by The Yum Blog, Bhags & Bharathy. Thank you, for starting this chain. Its great to be part of this chain and join in both the excitement and the anxiety of what pops up as your secret ingredient in the mail and what you would want to pass on to your friends !!!

I got my package from Seema of MyRandap, neatly wrapped up with the secret ingredient and some lovely chocolates and a card, in continuation of the Arusuvai Friendship Chain. Thanx so much Seema for the hard to resist chocolates and the very versatile ingredient. I thought it was coriander powder, but Seema said it was Coriander-Cumin (Dhania-Jeera)Powder, home-made by her. The moment I opened the packet, I knew this was home-made, coz of the freshness and the fragrance.

And right at that moment something came up in my mind. There was a Sindhi colleague of mine back in India, whose Dabba (lunch-box) we would all attack. She had this amazing cook whom we would sing praises of. The rajma-chaval,Sindhi Aloo, the parathas, its a long list. Me being a big fan of Potato (Aloo), I specially remember the Sindhi Aloo dish. Its just a simple and easy recipe, but tastes just extra-ordinarily good. I remember to have asked her the recipe and then made it a few times before. So thought, with the dhania-jeera powder, this would be a perfect thing to make after ages.

I will mention the recipe here, but you can adjust the quantities of all the ingredients according to your taste.
Update: I asked Seema about her Dhania-Jeera recipe and this is what she told me "For the Dhania-Jeera powder I use 1 glass dhania & 1/4 glass Jeera (My mom's recipe). Dry fry Dhania till you can get a nice aroma. Turn off gas & add jeera & stir for a minute or two... Allow to cool & grind to a fine powder." Thanx Seema :).
You will need small pototoes, coriander-cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and oil.

- Peel and slice the potatoes. (Small potatoes are best for this. If using the bigger ones, cut each slice into 2-4 pieces).
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the potato slices in it and keep stirring till the potatoes get cooked in the oil itself. If you take very little oil, the slices will stick to the bottom, so make sure you take enough oil.
- After the slices are fried/cooked, remove them from the pan onto a plate.
- Leave just about a tsp of oil in the pan and drain out the rest into a container or so.
- Now in this oil in the pan, on very low heat, add salt, red chilli powder, dhania-jeera(coriander-cumin) powder, and turmeric powder. Take care not to burn these. Switch off the heat.
- Add the potato slices back into this, and mix well such that the mixture coats the slices well.
- Serve hot with rice and any gravy.
I am so fond of this, that I just gobble up little by little right after am done making it. Hard to stop..

I will update on whom I'm sending the secret ingredient to, as am awaiting for one more response...

I would like to send this post as my contribution to Ode-Potatoes hosted by Sia of MonsoonSpice and also to Dhivya of CulinaryBazaar for her event - The Potato Fe(a)st.

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27 Comments:

Uma said...

wow, the aloo dish looks very pleasing to eyes as well as stomach. lovely entry.

Shilpa said...

These potatoes look really great Maya. I am a potato lover, so will try this soon. Thanks dear.

Dhivya said...

wow..looks yummy and delicious..keep rocking

sra said...

Maya, I don't suppose you meant deep-fry. You mean just an adequate amount of oil to coat and fry all the potatoes, right? They look really good.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Thnx so much Uma..Yes, I like its taste, especially when hot..

Sure, do try them Shilpa..Let me know if u like them..

Thank you Dhivya..

Sra, yes, they are NOT deep-fried..Just adequate amount of oil such that they coat in and get cooked. Do try them :)...

Anonymous said...

I always end of burning the powders.....this is a nice one!

FH said...

YUM!! Stir frying aloos gives them the best taste, no need to fry at all. Great entry girl!:)

Finla said...

Potato dish looks delicious.

vimmi said...

Hi MAya,

I would have loved to be a part of the chain , but I am going to India in March and will return only in may.

Purnima said...

Maya..tonda udda ailey --batato all time fave, ani tuve dhana-jeera perboli powder use kella, here I can imagine the aroma, taste n flavour of it!! Mmmmmmmmmm!

Purnima said...

Maya..just like that.. I got an idea..as you are tal-leyle fish fan, why not try fish in place of potato n dip in fine rava or bread crumbs just b4 dropping in oil?? :) Hope u dont mind..the aroma made me think of this n share wt u...:D hv a gr8 wk!

Sagari said...

that is really a wonderfull tasting potato recipe maya

DK said...

This is one delicious and crunchy luking potato recipe. I never made them this way. They are so simple to make and luk wonderful. Thanks for sending them my way :)

Meera said...

I think my comment was not saved. something happened with google. looks very nice. i am going to try this soon.

Jayashree said...

Looks wonderful.....it's on my must-try list now.

Seema said...

Lovely one Maya.. Potatos look all yum & crispy! Great recipe.

Sia said...

i was lucky enough to stay as PG at sindhi home while doing my post graduate degree:) thanks for this delicious entry maya:)

Anonymous said...

Yummy looking batata bhajiyas! I am hungry!

whenever i find these, they disappear ... FAST!
:-)

Pravs said...

potato slices looks tempting. Will love this with roti.

Purnima said...

Maya, u too hv completed 50 posts!! Congrats and please collect an award I have passed to you! My post title-Awards Night.

Nupur said...

That is a wonderful surprise ingredient! This dhane-jeere powder is a staple in my spice rack too. And yes, my favorite way to use it is the same as this- in a simple aloo stir-fry. Your dish looks so tasty!

Anonymous said...

Hey Maya

I tried ur recipe .Tastes great.!!!

DK said...

Hey I have someting for you in my blog. Come over and get it. Hope you like it :)

Anonymous said...

These look so very tempting! Do you know the proportions of cumin to coriander you would use to make dhania-jeera powder? I'd like to try these at home too. Many thanks for sharing this dish.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Manju,

Thanx..I have updated the post with the dhania-jeera proportions now..You can take a look :)..

Bharathy said...

WOW!so you recived a home made powder too!!:)..
Nice dish you have there!..
I too make the same way!

Meera said...

Those Sindhi aloos were superhit at my home and got gobbled up in no time!! We just loved them. Thanks for sharing a nice recipe. It also fits perfectly for MBP - Less is More event.