Potato Bajji | Potato Fritters

If only potato bajjis were a healthy thing, I would make them for snack everyday :), its one of my most favorite tea time snack. Ginger chai and potato bajji is an awesome combo. Especially when the weather outside is gloomy and rainy I long for these. So after a really long time I made these last weekend and savoured each and every piece and wishing with each piece that it doesnt get over soon ;). Potato bajji is a very famous South India snack and all the tiny road-side chai shops make them during the evening time. It reminds me of all the chit chat times we have had outside our office in bangalore hogging these bajjis along with chai :). Good Old times.

It is a very easy snack to make, thin slices of potato dipped in a spiced chickpea flour mixture and deep fried until golden brown, in and out of the kitchen in 20 min :). Enjoy these perfect weekend snack soon!

Ingredients

Serves - makes about 15 pieces
Spice Level - Medium
Prep Time - 10 min
Cook time - 5 min

Potato - 2 medium sized, peeled and sliced into thin pieces
Chickpea Flour/Besan/Kadalai maavu - 1 cup [sieved/sifted and keep aside]
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 2 Tsp
Salt - 1 Tsp
Corn Flour - 1 Tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
water - as per need
Oil - to deep fry the bajji

How do you do it

1. First mix the sieved besan, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, baking soda, corn flour well in a bowl.

2. Add water slowly and make a not too thick, not too thin paste. The consistency of the paste is important, the potato slices must be able to coat well without the paste dripping off it completely. See picture below.

3. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry these pieces. When the oil is medium hot, drop a few coated potato pieces and fry until golden brown. Make sure the oil is not too hot, not warm, it needs to be medium hot for the potato to get cooked as well.

4. Drain on a tissue paper to remove excess oil.

Serve with ketchup or green chutney and chai. :)

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Spicy Red Potato Curry

This red potato curry is my favorite side dish to pair up with Pooris. Most people go with the yellow aloo side dish -  Aloo Bhaji when they make pooris but my preference is this red spicy gravy. Its a very simple onion-tomato gravy to which boiled potatoes are added, but the texture of this curry is quite thick and a little extra red-chilli powder to bump up the hotness. Take a chance with this gravy when you make pooris next time and I am sure you would agree with me that this is indeed a better accompaniment.

Ingredients

Serves - 4
Spice Level - High
Prep Time - 15 min
Cook time - 20 min

Red Onion - 2 small/medium sized, finely chopped
Tomatoes - 4 Large sized, chopped
Potatoes - 2 , small sized, cubed into medium sized pieces
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Cumin - 1 Tsp
Mustard - 1 Tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli Powder - 2 Tbsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt - as per need

How do you do it

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Add hing, followed by mustard seeds, let it pop, add cumin seeds to roast. Add the onions, curry leaves, Ginger-Garlic paste in now and saute well until the onions are cooked - 5 minutes

2. Now add in the tomato pieces, turmeric, half the amount of salt required, toss well and close the kadai with a lid. Let the tomatoes get cooked in medium flame. wait for the tomatoes to disintegrate completely and form a gravy.

3. Meanwhile, Microwave the potato pieces in a bowl of water for about 3-4 minutes until they are half done. Drain and keep aside.

4. Once the tomatoes are cooked well, add the chilli powder now and mix well. Saute for a minute or two for the masala powders to get cooked.

3. Add about 2 cups of water to this now, remaining salt, potatoes and close the kadai with a lid. Let the curry boil for 10 minutes until all the flavors blend well and potatoes become tender.


Serve this delicious hot gravy with idli/dosai/pooris/chapathis etc.

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