Hands down, potatoes are versatile and can be cooked with different spices to match your palette. I normally, do a stir fry with paprika powder and a touch of cumin seeds and it really tastes gorgeous with roti/rice. This time around, I decided to do a stir fry with southern Indian spices and notched up the heat a bit. Result? The baby potatoes just explode into your mouth with the gorgeous spices giving an inherent taste. Highlight of this dish? Black peppercorns! Yes, the subtle heat it generates is just wonderful and works great with the potatoes. Cooking the dish is very easy but the initial preparation is labour intensive- especially, when you have to peel the skin from 500 grams of small potatoes and shallots. Trust me, it’s worth the effort! Go on indulge in this flavorful journey where potatoes are cooked with roasted spice mix and you can vary the spice level according to your choice.
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Baby potato fry
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Experience the burst of flavors with these baby potatoes cooked in a fragrant southern Indian spice mix, featuring the subtle heat of black peppercorns.
Ingredients
- 500 grams baby potatoes, boiled and peeled
- 4 whole dry red chilies
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) urad dal (split black gram, skinless)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp asafetida powder
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Dry roast the whole dry red chilies, urad dal, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds in a pan over medium heat until they are fragrant and slightly browned. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Allow them to cool completely.
- Grind the roasted spices into a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add a dash of asafetida powder and mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the boiled and peeled baby potatoes to the pan. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the spices.
- Sprinkle the ground spice mix over the potatoes and add salt to taste. Stir well to ensure the potatoes are evenly coated with the spice mix.
- Cook the potatoes for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are well roasted and the spices are fully absorbed.
- Serve hot with roti or rice.
Notes
- Curry leaves are a staple in southern Indian cooking and add a unique flavor to the dish.
- Adjust the number of red chilies to control the heat level.
- This dish pairs well with roti or rice.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: South Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 0
Find it online: https://honestcooking.com/baby-potato-curry/
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are urad dal and asafetida, and where do I find them?
Urad dal (split black gram, skinless) is a small ivory-colored lentil used widely in South Indian cooking — it is dry-roasted here along with the peppercorns and coriander seeds to build the spice mix. Asafetida (also sold as “hing”) is a pungent resin powder that mellows dramatically when cooked in hot oil, adding an onion-garlic depth. Both are available at Indian grocery stores and many large supermarkets’ international aisles. 
Why are the spices dry-roasted first before grinding?
The article identifies the freshly roasted spice mix as the highlight of the dish, and dry roasting is what unlocks that: the red chilies, urad dal, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds are toasted over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and slightly browned, then cooled completely before grinding. Skipping this step would give you a flat, raw-smelling powder rather than the deeply aromatic one the recipe depends on.
How do I control the heat level?
The article says you can “vary the spice level according to your choice,” and the notes specify adjusting the number of whole dry red chilies. The recipe calls for 4 chilies — reduce to 2 for a milder curry or increase for more heat.
happy shout-out to these beauties !!!