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Potato Karuvattu Poriyal | Chettinad Potatoes Recipe
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.
A few other vegetarian Chettinad recipes on Yummefy that you should definitely try:
Tomato Rice
Small Potato Masala Poriyal
Cabbage Poriyal
Sweet Mango Pachadi
Chettinad Mutton Chops
Konkani Potato Curry -
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RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
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4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal (black gram), (black gram), hulled, split
1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
50 grams onions, (about ½ medium), peeled and finely chopped
1⁄2 heaping teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
10 curry leaves
1 1⁄2 teaspoons red chilli powder, mild, preferably made from goondu milagai
1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
3⁄4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon coriander leaves, fresh, chopped
Wet Paste:
1/3 cup grated coconut
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons cumin seeds (jeera)
2 green chillies, fresh
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400 grams potatoes, (about 4 medium), peeled, cut into wedges like potato chips
2 teaspoons salt
COOKING METHOD
- Grind coconut, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and green chillies, on an ammi / sil-batta or run in a blender with some water to make a wet paste. Set aside.
- Pour enough water into a saucepan to cover potatoes and bring to a boil over medium heat. Slide in potatoes and 2 teaspoons salt. Boil potatoes, covered, till fork-tender, 7-10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
- Add oil to a large kadhai or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, slide in mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds start to crackle, add urad dal and stir. Add the fennel seeds and onion, and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add ginger and garlic followed by curry leaves, stir well, then add red chilli powder and turmeric. Stir before adding the reserved wet paste. Continue to stir constantly till oil has separated from the masala and the mixture looks cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes, adding about 1 tablespoon of water if needed.
- Sprinkle with salt, stir, and add peeled and boiled potatoes, mixing well. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the caramelized bits of masala. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with lemon rice or curd rice.
Credits: “The Bangala Table: Flavors and Recipes from Chettinad” by Sumeet Nair, Meenakshi Meyyappan, with Jill Donenfeld.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 33 minutes
- Grind coconut, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and green chillies, on an ammi / sil-batta or run in a blender with some water to make a wet paste. Set aside.
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