Potato Karuvattu Poriyal recipe: potato wedges sautéed with aromatic spices, ginger, garlic, and onions, and cooked in a traditional home-made coconut - spice paste, with a delicious hint of fennel (saunf) shining through! Chettinad potatoes at their best - a recipe that must be tried.
The name of the dish – Potato Karuvattu Poriyal - suggests a distinctive south Indian dish, which is rightly so, as karuvadu or karuvattu means dried fish in Tamil. However, no fish is used in the preparation of this vegetarian recipe: the name is so derived due to the potatoes being cut in the shape of little dried fish.
We love the versatility of potatoes and the innumerable ways they can be cooked: fried (of course), baked, sautéed, stewed, braised, etc., - they’re all so good. Cooked all around the world as they are now ubiquitous worldwide, potatoes originated in Peru and were brought to Europe by the Spaniards. It was only in the early 17th century that the Portuguese brought potatoes (or batata) to India. This along with their other cargoes (tomatoes and chillies) revolutionised Indian cuisine. It’s difficult to imagine Indian food without potatoes, chillies, or tomatoes – the cuisine would definitely have been poorer without these vegetables, which have played a central role in the country’s gastronomy in the last 300 years. And this Potato Karuvattu Poriyal recipe incorporates two of these three vegetables – potatoes and chillies, to perfection, as the Chettiar’s often do in their cooking.
In Chettinad, Potato Karuvattu Poriyal (known as Urulai Kizhangu Karuvattu Poriyal in Tamil) is an absolute must on a picnic lunch, combined with Lemon Rice and Eggplant and Green Banana Curry, or at dinner served with Thayir Sadam (Curd Rice), whose cooling properties act as an excellent foil to the poriyal’s heat.
Learn how to make this tasty Potato Karuvattu Poriyal | Chettinad Masala Potatoes recipe with easy step by step video instructions and detailed recipe with ingredients, prep time, and cook time right here.