Ingredient:

For the ground spices:

6 dry red chillies

3 tbsp split black gram (urad dal)

5-6 black peppercorns

For the cooking:

300 gm potatoes (2-3 medium sized ones)

3 tbsp cooking oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

10-15 curry leaves

1-2 medium onions

Salt, to taste 

Method:

Boil and peel the potatoes. Be careful not to over-boil them – we need them firm and soft, rather than mushy. Keep aside.

Once the potatoes cool, pierce them gently with a fork to prepare them for absorbing the spices later. Chop into cubes.

To make the ground spices, in a pan, put the red chillies, split black gram, and peppercorns. Dry roast until the dal gives off a fragrant aroma and turns light brown. After it cools, grind this mix to a powder. Your spice mix is ready!

Note – This recipe yields enough spice mix (masala) to be used 2-3 times and it can be stored in a dry, airtight container. Each time, you can use about 2-3 tsp of the powder, depending on how strong you like the flavour.

Heat the oil. You can use the same non-stick pan you may have used earlier. Add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves, and let them splutter for 10-20 seconds.

Then add in the onions, and saute till the onions are light brown.

Add the potatoes. Mix well and add just a little bit of salt.

Then add as much of the ground powder as you want (2-3 tsp). Mix it well, ensuring that the potatoes are fully coated in the spice mix.

Cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 mins to allow the potatoes to absorb the spices. Turn off the gas and keep the pan covered for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy hot with chapati, rice or on its own!