Monday, January 7, 2013

Muchmuche alubhaja...the guilt free way


We, bengalis have a special bond with Potato. Be it boiled and mashed(alu sedho) or fried(alu bhaja) or with poppy paste(alu posto). And how can you even think of the Sunday special mutton or chicken curry without potatoes...we love potatoes in our curries and in so many various ways.

Today, I was not in a mood for any elaborate cooking but my taste buds were not in a mood to compromise.  So I made the simplest, easiest and  the quickest meal one can think. It was bhat(steamed rice), lau diye moong dal(lentils with bottle gourd and coriander ) and alu bhaja(crispy fried potato).

My problem was frying the potatoes, I wanted it to be crispy golden brown but was not ready to deep fry the potatoes. Suddenly I remembered about a recipe that I came across through foodieslikeus.com, it called for baked crispy potatoes flavored with garlic and herbs.

I used garlic to flavor the potatoes and the herb I used was fresh coriander leaves. You can use whole dry red chilies or kalonji or panch foron instead of garlic and any other herb that's available to you. Or you can make it plain without garlic or chilies or any herbs.

Here is how I did it.

Steps of making baked crispy potato fries:

  • Russet potato or any baking potato: 300 gm
  • Garlic(minced): 1 tbsp
  • Coriander leaves(chopped): 3-4 tsp
  • Oil: 1-2 tbsp
  • Salt to taste

Steps of making baked crispy potato fries:


1. Wash the potato well. Make sure it is properly cleaned, as we are going to keep the skin.

2. Cut the potatoes into roundels of 1/2 cm thickness.


3. Then cut the roundels lengthwise of 1/2 cm thickness.Try to keep the thickness even while you are cutting, if needed use a food processor or a mandoline slicer. Wash well and dry them with a kitchen towel.


4. I made some garlic oil to flavor the potatoes. In a pan heat oil. You can use any vegetable oil. When the oil is hot add the minced garlic. As the garlic starts changing color, switch off the heat and let it cool down.


5. When the oil is cold enough to handle, strain it through a strainer. The garlic oil is ready. The same way you can use whole dry red chili or panch foron(bengali five spice mix) or kalonji and use that oil to flavor the potatoes. Do not throw away the garlic pieces, keep it aside.


6. Pre heat the oven to 400F/ 200C. Take a baking tray and cover it with aluminium foil. Take the potatoes in the tray and rub well with the flavored oil.


7. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer. Make sure no two potatoes are overlapping. If needed use more than one baking tray.


8. Put the baking tray on the top rack and cook for 10-12 min. Take out the tray and give it a toss. Cook for another 10 min. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the potatoes. Thicker the potatoes, it will need more time to cook. Check in between, if the potatoes look golden brown in color, better switch off the heat and let it stand inside the oven for few minutes and take out the tray. Keep an eye to the potatoes, they tend to burn very easily.

9. Drizzle the potatoes with salt and the reserved garlic and chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediately.


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5 comments:

  1. Darun! jhurjhure and muchmuche.. alu holey holo amar jonno :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. my way of saying 'thank' you for such wonderful recipes. Have a look.... http://petpujoandadda.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/chitrangadas-guilt-free-muchmuche-alu.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must say thank you. You liked it and executed it so beautifully.

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  3. On a journey to lose a lot of weight slowly and sustainably. Just came across this while googling randomly. You are a godsent. Loads of love from a Bong foodie.

    ReplyDelete