Where Do I Begin...

This was the question that haunted me when I first began my experiments of the culinary variety. Before I got married in 2006, my forays into the kitchen were limited to the odd omelette here or a stray snack there. But after getting hitched, my attempts at cooking have expanded to include dishes that can actually be eaten as part of main courses at lunch or dinner. Here is one of the first veggie dishes that I put my own stamp onto

Tondli Potato Fry

Ingredients

Tondli - ¼ kg
Potatoes - ¼ kg
Onions - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Hing - a few pinches
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Red chilli pd - 1 tsp
Turmeric pd - ½ tsp
Dhania Jeera pd - 1 tsp
Sambhar pd - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

1. Slice tondlis and potatoes lengthwise like you would for French fries
2. Soak potatoes in water to which a few ice cubes have been added (this aids in quicker frying and gives a crisper outcome)
3. Slice onions lengthwise
4. Toss tondlis in a bit of the dry masala powders
5. Heat oil in a non stick pan and sauté tondlis till semi cooked. Keep aside
6. Drain potatoes and toss in salt and turmeric powder
7. Saute potatoes in the remaining oil till soft and done. Keep aside
8. Heat the pan and splutter mustard seeds and hing
9. Add curry leaves and onions immediately (if the hing gets overcooked, it gives a bitter taste to the rest of the dish… so be careful here folks)
10. Add the rest of the dry masala powders and salt.
11. Sprinkle a little water and cook till onions are soft
12. Add potatoes and tondlis and cook till tondlis are fully done
13. Enjoy with rotis / phulkas