Madurai Kizhangu Pottalam

Madurai kizhangu Pottalam: A hot and spicy potato curry usually served along with wheat halwa. Madurai is known for spongy idlis, keema dosa, veechu parotta, and also for this kizhangu pottalam. Cooked potatoes are sauteed with onions, spices like ginger, and garlic and tossed with spice powders like red chilli powder, pepper powder, garam masala, fennel powder, cumin powder, and hing.

What you require:

Vegetables: Potatoes are used. Bellary onion is used. Shallots can also be used

Spices: ginger, garlic is used.

Spice powders: coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger powder, fennel powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, hing powder, garam masala powder are used.

Herbs: Curry leaves are used, 

Oils and fats: Cold-pressed groundnut oil is used. Ghee can be used. Any neutrally flavored oil can be used.

Mustard seeds are used.

Method:

Pressure cook potatoes.

Saute onion, spices, and spice powders in the oil along with cooked potatoes.

Garnish.

Accompaniments:  Goes well not only with halwa but also with sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice and with rotis too.

You may also try:

Urulai Kara curry

Equipment used: Kadai, mortar, and pestle.

Recipe:

Madurai kizhangu pottalam

A hot and spicy potato curry

Time taken - 45 minutes including cooking time of potatoes

No. of servings - 5

1 tsp = 5 ml

Ingredients with measurements:

Potatoes - 1/2 kg

Onion - 2(medium)

Ginger - 1"

Garlic - 5/6 cloves

Spice powders:

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Fine pink salt - to taste

Coriander powder - 1tsp 

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - for sauteeing

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp for tempering

Directions:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes. Peel the skin. Crumble them roughly.

2. Heat oil in a kadai, add chopped onions, curry leaves, hing powder, saute till pink, don't make the onions brown.

3. Pound ginger, garlic and add them after the onion is sauteed.

4. Add all the spice powders. Saute till the raw smell disappears.

5. Add cooked potatoes. Toss them in the spice powder - onion mixture.

6. Cook and cover in low flame for 5-7 minutes, till spice powders are absorbed by the potatoes and a nice aroma is emitted.

7. Garnish with fried curry leaves.

Notes:

1. If the ginger powder is not available leave it out.

2. Whole cumin seeds, fennel seeds can be used for tempering also.

3. 1 or 2 Green chillies may be added while sauteeing onion.