Aloo Fry: An ode to the versatile spud!

Aloo Fry

Fried, boiled, baked, mashed, stuffed, being stuffed(?!), roasted, grilled…

Wonder what I am rambling about? It's just our humble potato or aloo/alu, batata… The above mentioned are some avatars of potato that come out from my kitchen at least once or twice a week. In my family we may like some vegetables or simply hate other vegetables, but one vegetable that we all are very fond of is this humble spud. Cook it any way and present it in any form, you can be 100% sure that it will be relished with complete devotion and enthusiasm by all three of us.

We are the family who will happy sing our ode to the potato. And why not? You can cook this tuber with any other vegetable, and use any spices or herbs you like; it will simply embrace them and create a wonderful marriage between flavour and your palate. After all we all love happy endings, don’t we? And it is difficult to find, if not impossible, any other vegetable that can compete with this spud when it comes to popularity and versatility.

Aloo Fry

One such simple yet unbelievably tasty outcome of potato is Alu Fry or Aloo Fry or Potato stir fry. This quick recipe of chunky potato cubes stir fried with few basic spices brings out the best in them. You can make it even simpler by opting out onions, and stir fry the potato cubes with any of your favourite spice or herb mixes. If you still want to reduce the amount of cooking time, simply opt for boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes and give it a quick stir with basic spice and/or herb mix. And voila, you will end up with a bowl full of delicious, easy to please Alu Fry that brings satisfied grin on your face and one happy tummy. It is different matter that how happy your tummy is inversely proportional to how indulgent you got and the level of your love affair with this versatile spud!!! Everything in moderation is the real secret behind your happy tummy and happy you! :)

Ingredients for Aloo Fry

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Aloo Fry (A quick and simple dish of wok fried potatoes with aromatic spices)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 - 20 mins
Serves: 4-6 people
Recipe Level: Basic/Beginner
Spice Level: Mild to Medium
Shelf Life: 3 days when refrigerated and 2 weeks when frozen
Serving Suggestion: With any Dal/Lentil dish and Rice/Indian flat breads

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Ingredients:
3 large Potatoes, scrubbed, washed, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Spices Used:
½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
½-1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 1 tbsp Lime/Lemon Juice

For Tadka/Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1-2 Dry Red Chillies, halved
Few Curry Leaves
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
2 tbsp Oil

Simple Aloo Fry or Aloo Fry

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai/wok and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and hing.

When mustard seeds start to pop and splutter, add finely chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium flame.

Next, add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes till the raw smell disappears and onions turn light brown in colour.

Mix in diced potatoes and give it a good stir for a minute or two.

Add all the spices listed above one by one along with salt to taste and mix them well to coat every potato piece. If using lime/lemon juices save it till the end.

Sprinkle little water and cover the wok and cook for 5-8 minutes. Give it a good stir in between to save the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the vessel.

Sprinkle little more water if needed and cook for another 3-5 minutes till the potatoes are cooked thoroughly.

Add lime/lemon juice if using and switch off the gas. Mix in finely chopped coriander if desired and serve this delicious Aloo Fry hot with any Dal/Lentil dish, Ghee and Rice or any Indian flat breads and enjoy.

Aloo Fry

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Sia’s Notes:

• If you are short of time, simply use boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes and it will take half the cooking time.
• You can leave out onions and ginger garlic paste and just use potatoes to make simpler version of Alu Fry.