JFI - BATATA, ALOO, POTATO, Pomme De Terre’.....

List of Potato items I consume regularly :
Potato bhaji,Sukha bhaji (with variations) ,Rassa bhaji,Pav bhaji,Chips,Fries and Burgers, Wedges, Alu paratha, Alu raita,Veges cooked with Potato, Samosa,Chaat items, Batata Wada
Potato sandwich,Tikkis...............

Have I forgotten anything else, must've... there are another 100 things that have skipped my mind!
I remember in my childhood, we used to have a 'summer holiday Bhatukli' (a session where I and my pint size friends would cook a meal). This was the REAL thing... each one of us would bring 1 potato each, half a cup of rice, daal and atta (wheat flour) , oil each, some sugar, enthusiastic mother's would sometimes give a bottle of pickle or jam. The menu was standard, rice and plain daal, potato subzi and pickle and puri (rotis were impossible, nobody wanted to study geography in the holidays!!) The vegetable was fixed too, had to be, age 6- 10 cannot do more!!
It was fun to have these cooking sessions, but unfortunately a HUGE problem for our Mum's!!! We usually held this activity in my home or any of my friend's whose Mother's were working for the obvious reason, no interference!
The world was shocked by the destruction caused by 'Katrina', the expression on their face was one I saw on my Mother's face all thru my childhood.... unfortunately the only help she got in cleaning up was from Dad, and that took so much time, that we always went out for dinner!
This childhood activity(not the going out for dinner!! :D) was probably what sparked my interest in cooking! Then came a time when I and my friends made patties (we could not make ragda) but the patties were easy to make. I liked them so much that the very same evening I made some more for my family... well, a lot more, come to think of it! I had no idea of 'andaaz' (sense of proportion) so I mixed everything, and finally the potato mixture was of a quantity that could probably have fed an army!!! My family, neighbors and my parents office friends got the benefit of my culinary (mis)adventures!
Years later I joined a cookery day-class and learnt a lot more. I still have those recipes and they are amazing! It was there, that I made my first successful Stuff Paratha!! That is my first contribution to JFI.

You need:

5 Potatoes
1 inch Ginger
2-3 green chilies
1 Tsp Cilantro
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Corriander powder
1/4 tsp Chaat powder
1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
1 cup Wheat flour
1/4 tsp Ajwain (optional)
Ghee/oil to shallow fry


Boil, peel and mash potatoes.
Grind the ginger, chilly to a fine paste.
Add to mashed potatoes, add cilantro.
Add salt, cumin-corriander and chaat powder.
Mix the flours, add oil, salt,ajwain, water and knead into a dough.
Take a small portion of the dough.
Roll into a puri, add the stuffing (do not over fill /stuff)
Seal by bringing up the corners and make a ball.
Roll into a thickish paratha, shallow fry in ghee/oil.




I also made Aloo Tikkis. These are my absolute favs for an evening snack when we decide to have a few friends over . This is my 2nd. 'peshkash'

You need:

1/2 kg Potatoes ( roughly 6 med. size )
1 inch Ginger
6 flakes Garlic
2 Green chillies
1/4 cup Bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Fine Farina/ rawa/ sooji

For the CHUTNEY
8-10 Dates
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/2 green chilly
1 tsp Cilantro
Salt
Tamarind


Pressure cook the potatoes and dates (separately!).
Take the cooked dates (remove the seed) mix all ingredients listed under Chutney and grind to a paste. If you are using tamarind concentrate use about 1/4 tsp as it is strong)
Peel and mash the potatoes.
Grind to a paste ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Add the paste, bread crumbs , salt to the mashed potatoes.
Knead it to a firm dough.
Take a portion of this dough and make a ball of it. Flatten it on the palm and make a well of the potato mix.
Fill with the date chutney. Bring together the edges an seal.
Shape like a patty.
Pat the patty (!!) in the farina and shallow fry.
Serve hot with ketchup

Vaishali , is our hostess for this month's JFI... who by the way is going to have a tough time with the round up!! All the best to you,Vaishali!!! And many thanx for the wonderful choice of ingredient. Pin It