Hing Jeerey ke Aloo

When Lavi announced RCI- Lucknow, I was really thrilled since I had recently tasted some fabulous Lucknawi/Awadhi/Nawabi food for the first time at Swadh Desi, a newly opened restaurant in Bangalore. I couldn't wait to try some out at home. A book called Dastarkhwan-e-Awadh, I believe is the only known cookbook dedicated solely to this form of cooking. I was lucky enough to find some recipes from that book online here (Jan-Mar 2006 Issue). This Hing Jeerey ke Aloo was simple to make and oh-so-delicious. Thanks, Lavi for hosting this and Lakshmi for starting this wonderful event.

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, cut into big chunks (recipe calls for baby potatoes)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp ghee (I used ghee/oil combo)
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1/8 tsp hing/asafoetida
2 green chillies chopped
1 tsp ginger grated
2 tsp anardana powder/pomegranate powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (I used paprika for less heat)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Boil the potatoes in a pan with water and salt. Cook until tender but not mushy. Drain and keep aside.
Heat the ghee in a pan. Add asafoetida, stir on medium heat until it puffs up. Add cumin seeds and stir until they begin to pop. Add the ginger and green chilies and fry for 30 seconds. Add potatoes and stir-fry for a minute.
Add pomegranate powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder; stir-fry until the masala turns dark brown and evenly coats the potatoes. Remove and adjust the seasoning.

Incidentally, this is my 100th post. It only took 2 years and 8 months to reach this milestone! :) I go through phases in blogging, as do many, I guess. You'll find me posting every few days for a few months and then I disappear for weeks on end! Right now, I'm going through the "cook, click, post" phase, which hopefully will last for sometime. Let's see!! :)