Baked Potato Wedges

One of the easiest appetizers/snack one can make without going all crazy. Most of the kids love potatoes. This makes a perfect snack for the kids when they get back home after a long day at school. All you have to do is marinate quickly with herbs on hand and throw in some paprika, pepper pwd, salt, Evv oil and bake... while the oven does its work, you can sip on your cuppa chai or coffee till the oven goes ding! :)

Best version to consume potatoes is either baked or boiled. But a little bit of oil and cheese goes a long way. These baked wedges are simply addictive. Makes a great side dish for big parties! You can make a big tray of it with minimum sweating :) I swear :):)

Ingredients:

• 3 big size potatoes or 6-7 small size potatoes
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil (can add more if you wish)
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp each rosemary, thyme (dry or fresh)
• 1-2 tbsp shredded cheese of your choice ( I like parmesan)
• salt as per taste

Preparation:
Wash, clean and pat dry the potatoes. Cut it into long wedges. You can keep the skin on. (just love it that way)
Mix all the ingredients and let the wedges get slathered in the oil and herbs mixture.
Take a baking tray, place a parchment paper or silver foil, spray some oil.
Pour the wedges into the tray and spread it out.
Heat the oven to 400F /200C and bake for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, just turn sides of the wedges.
Serve hot as is or with your favorite dip or ketchup.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits:
Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.

Potato Stew (Kerala Style)

Call me crazy weird, but sometimes, suddenly out of nowhere, I get a very strong craving to taste this Potato Stew:) I cannot explain the feeling :) The nostalgic aroma literally starts playing up in my brain and I get an urge to have it right then! Today was one of those days and I had no choice but to cook it. Thankfully it doesn't call for an elaborate preparation, it is very simple and easy to make. It actually is eaten with idlis, appams, dosa, idli(instant poha) or roti. I also like to have it as a soup. Everyone may not agree with me on the soup part, but that's just me :)

This above picture reminds me of a married couple :) I was smiling away as I was clicking, marriages happen with food too! These 2 dishes compliment each other so well that it is mindblowing :)
This is my sister's recipe and she makes an excellent stew and steamed rice/ragi shevaya (idiyappam) to go with it. I did not have ragi(millet) in my pantry and cravings for my potato stew was very strong(:)), so just heated some store bought ragi idiyappam/shevaya (You can check the recipe of  ragi idiyappam/shevaya here!)

It is basically a comfort food, and can be enjoyed on any given day. When one is having a cold/sore throat, a super hot bowl of this stew can be served as well :) It originally comes from the state of Kerala.

Let us take a look at this fantastic Potato Stew.

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes med size (peeled)
• 1 onion chopped med size
• 10+6 curry leaves
• 2 green chillies
• 2-inch ginger grated
• 2 cups semi thick coconut milk
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• salt to taste
• 1/2 carrot chopped (optional)

Preparation:

• Dump all the ingredients except 6 curry leaves, coconut milk, carrots and coconut oil in a pressure cooker. Add little water till everything is just immersed and cook for 3 whistles.
• Let the cooker cool down and wait till all the pressure goes away. 
• Now mash all the ingredients with a masher and add coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer for few minutes. 
• Pour coconut oil, drop remaining 6 curry leaves, carrots and cover it with lid. 
• Serve hot with idlis, appams, dosa, rice, roti...

You may also like the recipe of Plain Dosa, Instant Poha Idli, Oats Rava Idli...

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Notes:* One can add other veggies also while making this stew. I mostly like it simple and don't like to mix the flavor of potato with other veggies :)

Health Benefits:

Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.

Aloo Paratha (Potato Stuffed Flat Bread)

No one needs an introduction to Aloo Parathas :) Most staple food of Northern India and now this globally famous flatbread is here to stay. According to me, it is one of the most kid-friendly Indian food. Comes in handy while travelling, road trips, picnics etc. (no not in movie theatres lol ) A no-nonsense, no mess parathas that can be enjoyed independently or with side dishes, can be had for breakfast or as meals. It is an all-rounder super star :)

Any beginners interested in making parathas, must begin with potatoes (aloo), then graduate to all other vegetables, that is my 2 cents :) Aloo mixture stuffing is made in 1000 (thats exageration :)) different ways, I like to keep it simple and yum! When you add little dab of ghee/butter on it while frying or while eating, that is when you will be tasting an authentic paratha (hehe! no I am not kidding). My mantra is, eat little(portion control) eat well and eat it the right way :)

So let us take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:
To make the stuffing:

• 2 medium potatoes boiled
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 tsp carraway seeds (ajwain, carom seeds)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder (jeera pwd)
• 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 tsp amchur (mango powder)
• salt as per taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• handful chopped mint (optional)
• 1/2 tsp chilly powder (optional)

To make the Paratha dough

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• about 1 cup water
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp oil

Preparation:

• Make a dough by adding salt, oil to the flour and water little by little, keep kneading and make a soft dough. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
• Make stuffing by mixing all the ingredients under stuffing. Take small portion to make balls and keep aside. Please keep in mind that the potatoes shouldn't be soggy. If your stuffing gets soggy, it gets hard to roll out paratha (add spoonful of breadcrumbs as a quick fix)
• Now take a small portion of the dough make a ball and roll out a 3-inch diameter disc, place the potato stuffing ball in the center and bring all the edges of the disc together and seal it. Dust it nicely with flour and start rolling out again with a light hand. One trick that I learnt is, take a fork and make few marks on the stuffed ball of dough, it lets out the air and rolls out into a paratha smoothly. 
• Parathas can be made with varying thickness. I like it both ways, thinner and thicker. When you make thicker parathas, see to it that you press the edges and fry them well.
• Heat a frying tava/pan, place the paratha on it, drizzle some ghee/oil over it and let it fry for a couple of minutes on med-high flame. Flip and add more ghee/oil and let it fry till done. Properly made parathas puff up nicely while frying. 
• Remove and serve hot with boondi raita or curds and pickle.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits:

The humble potato is vastly underrated in terms of nutritional benefits. Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory. So let's not ditch this humble vegetable :)

Batata Song (Spicy and Tangy Potato Curry)

BATATA SONG CURRY

Ok, I know, you must be either smiling, rolling your eyes, laughing or mocking looking at the name of the dish :) I don't blame you because I make fun of it myself :) It is a famous Konkani potato curry, and once you will taste it, you are going to make it again :) It's USP is, less is more. Quick, easy, spicy and tangy! Goes well with rotis, pooris and rice.
Let us check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium size potato
• 1 big onion finely chopped
• 3 tsp chilly powder (as per your taste, this is actually spicy dish)
• 3/4 tsp tamarind pulp (adjust this as per your chilly pwd quantity)
• salt to taste
• pinch of turmeric (haldi)
• 1 cup water (or more)
• 2 tbsp oil (or more)

Preparation:

• Cook potatoes and chop roughly. You can cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or cook in microwave for 15 minutes with 5 minutes interval or simply boil in a vessel with water till potatoes are done.
• In a pan, heat oil and add onions, saute till golden brown. Add chilly powder, turmeric, tamarind pulp and saute for a minute. 
• Add water and chopped potatoes along with salt. Mix everything nicely and let it cook for few minutes. Potatoes soak in the water, so add water if you want it thin and adjust spices if need be (you just have to play with chilli pwd and tamarind pulp) :)
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot!

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits:
The humble potato is vastly underrated in terms of nutritional benefits. Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory. So let's not ditch this humble vegetable :)

Aloo Bhaji for Dosa/Poori (Yellow Potato Dry Vegetable Curry)

This aloo (potato) sabji is a very common dish made in almost every household. This complements well with poori, dosa or even a plain sandwich. I actually reserve this to make on the days I prepare masala dosas or on special occasions like today, we celebrated Holi-festival of colors. Made it with ragi poori and everyone enjoyed it. It qualifies as a buffet dish as it's easy to make and has very less room for error. So Aloo Bhaji is a good dish to keep in mind when it comes to easy entertainment.

Let's check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 med size potatoes boiled*
• 1 onion large sliced
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2-inch ginger thinly julienned or chopped
• 1/2 tsp urad dal (black gram split)
• 10 curry leaf
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• 1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
• salt as per taste 
• chopped cilantro for garnish
• 2 tbsp oil

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add mustard seeds once it splutters add urad dal, keep stirring, once it starts to brown add slit green chillies, curry leaves, and ginger, saute quickly for a minute and add sliced onions. 
• Let it cook for 2 minutes. Add turmeric and let the onion turn translucent. Keep stirring in between.
• Roughly chop the boiled potatoes and mix it with the onions. Add salt and let it cook on med-sim flame for 4-5 minutes. Add a little water if it is too dry. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with dosa or poori.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Note:* Add 3 cups of water for 3 med size potatoes and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. You can also cook it in a vessel for around 30-40 minutes. When you pierce a knife, it must come out smooth, that's when your potatoes are done.

Nutrition Facts: The humble potato is vastly underrated in terms of nutritional benefits. Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory. So let's not ditch this humble vegetable :)

Batata Talasani (Spicy Potato Dry Vegetable)

This fries or straw cut potato vegetable dish is one of the first dishes I learnt to make after I got married :) Very easy and very yummy tasting batata talasani is a Konkani recipe. Lots of curry leaves, garlic along with asafoetida and chilli powder go in the making of this spicy talasani which in return makes 'Potato' the hero of this aromatic flavorful dish. I actually like this to eat with methi parathas(theplas) too, not sure why but the combo is deadly :)
So let's get to the recipe:

SPICY POTATO DRY VEGETABLE DISH

Ingredients:

• 3 med* size potato (fries or straw or matchstick cut)
• 1 or 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp chilli pwd
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 3-4 big pods of garlic chopped
• salt as per taste
• handful of chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp lemon juice

BATATA TALASANI

Preparation:

• In a non-stick pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, lower the flame to med-sim, add garlic, curry leaves saute quickly for few sec, add asafoetida, turmeric, chilli pwd, saute quickly else it will burn.
• Add potatoes, mix with the masalas, add salt as per taste and mix again. Close the lid and on low flame cook the potatoes till done for 10-12 minutes. Stir the potato mixture in between.
• Garnish with the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve hot with Roti or Rice.

njoY!! happyY cookinG!!

*Note: You should get about 3 cups of fries cut potatoes. Please adjust chilli pwd as per your taste. I like it spicy :)

Nutrition Facts: The humble potato is vastly underrated in terms of nutritional benefits. Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.

Aloo Kachori (Potato Puffs)

Potato is a staple vegetable loved by all, especially children. Can be consumed in baked, mashed, roasted whichever way, you will just love it. One of the first words my son uttered was batata(potato), he used to say it a lot:) It's easily available and there are countless ways to incorporate it in our meals. Here is one simple way that makes an impressive appetizer or a snack called kachoris.

Let us take a look at the recipe of Aloo Kachori,

Ingredients:
To make outer Shell

• All purpose flour (maida) 2 cups 
• Cooking oil 3 tbsp or 3 tbsp ghee
• Lemon juice 1 tsp 
• Salt as per taste (1tsp)

To make the Stuffing

• 4 potatoes medium size boiled and roughly mashed
• Mint leaves chopped handful (optional) 
• Green chillies minced 1 or 2 
• Ginger chopped 1 inch 
• Dried Pomegranate seed powder 2 tsp ( if you don't have it add more of amchur pwd)
• Red chili powder 1 tsp 
• Mango powder(amchur) 1 tsp 
• Coriander powder 1 tsp 
• Salt 1 tsp 
• Cooking oil 1 tsp 
• Cooking oil to deep fry

Preparation:

• Take a big bowl and add all the ingredients listed for making outer shell. 
• Mix well and make a soft dough with cold water, cover and keep aside for 10 minutes. 
• Knead well and make equal size balls. 
• In a bowl add all the ingredients for stuffing and mix properly. 
• Make equal size balls from the mixture, slightly bigger than the dough balls. 
• Now dust the dough balls with refined flour and roll to make a medium thick puri. 
• Place the potato ball in the centre and pull and close the poori from all sides,pinch off extra dough and make a round ball. 
• Heat oil in a deep pan(kadai), add the kachoris on medium heat . 
• Now lower the flame after a minute and fry the kachoris on low heat on both sides till golden in color. 
• You can drain on a paper napkin to absorb the extra oil 
• Serve with mint chutney or date-tamarind chutney or ketchup.  

recipe source credit: Maayeka.com [ made little changes in measurement of oil and spice powders ]

Health Benefits: Potatoes are an exceptionally healthful low calorie, high fiber food that offers significant protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Potatoes qualify as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid. Vitamin B-6 helps in building cells, brain cells, cardio vascular protection (maximum benefits provided when eaten mashed, baked, roasted without oil/butter/cream)