I think this is probably the second recipe I would be posting from a recipe book taken from the library, the first being Amritsari dal, again from a Madhur Jaffrey book. For some strange reason, both the libraries in my Borough seem to have a lot of Madhur Jaffrey Books. I'm wondering its because most of her recipes cater to the locals, or so I think!
The book I have with me now, Simple Indian Cookery, has a bunch of neat recipes, but most of which I think are nothing great, just average and a little bland considering they are curry recipes. The potato bhajias, along with a flaky flat bread with cumin seeds were the only two recipes I thought were worth noticing.
These bhajias are pretty simple and straightforward and I wouldn't have given it a go if it wasn't for the cold, windy weather we experienced a couple of days back. It was so sunny and bright the first half of the week and then suddenly it became very unpleasant.
I was craving some banana fritters and Ro wanted English scones. Too bad that I was the one with the upper hand in the kitchen and he had no idea how to make scones. But with no bananas at hand, I was left with the option of something savoury. These potato bhajias served the purpose...I mean it was deep fried, it was hot and paired with a cuppa it was bliss.
Potatoes- 2 large, well scrubbed and peeled
Besan/ Chickpea flour- 100 gms
Soda powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli/ Cayenne powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Water- about 100-150ml
Vegetable oil- for deep frying
Sift together all the dry ingredients and the cumin seeds.
Pour in the water bit by bit stirring as you go, to make a smooth batter.
Cut the peeled potatoes into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick and drop into the batter.
Stir to coat them well.
Heat the oil in a kadai or deep frying pan. test to see if batter is hot by dropping a wee bit of batter into the oil and it should fizzle to the top immediately.
Take as many potato pieces as will fit in a single layer and scatter them evenly in hot oil.
Fry, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown in colour on either sides.
remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels.
repeat the process till you are done with the entire batch.
Serve hot with some chutney. I did an array of dips like a tamarind chutney, a mustard relish and chilli ketchup.
Notes: The potatoes need not be peeled. I just did it by accident :)
Try the same with courgettes or even brinjal/ eggplant
