About The Author
Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!
Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.
Aloo khosha bhaja is another dish I have heard about, but had never cooked before. But the lockdown made me do it, just like the rest of the world got hooked to dalgona coffee.
Potato Peels – The Indian Perspective
While growing up, I used to watch my maternal grand-mother peel potatoes. But she would always keep some of the skin on. As a kid when I pointed it out, she would continue peeling it, and reply to me without looking up – “there are vitamins in the skin”.
In many shops across Bengal that sell the humble and delicious poori and aloo’r torkari (Bengali-style potato curry), the chef would always keep the peel on. The same happens during religious festivals where the most delicious khichuri (bengali khichdi) has potatoes with the peel on.
Not to forget the most flavorful chicken and mutton curries cooked across Bengal and Odisha in dhabas and small eateries. Many keep the jacket on the potato.
In all these cases, the peel plays an important role. Firstly, it enhances the flavor of the dish. If you don’t trust me, try it out!
Secondly, peeling potatoes when cooking for a large group of people is time consuming and labour-intensive. Keeping the peel on the potatoes save a lot of time.
The peel on the potato has an earthy flavor that does not linger in your palette for a long duration.
I had been storing the potato peels in a small stainless steel tiffin box for sometime now. I would wash the peels, dry them and have them refrigerated.
I finally decided to cook it as I felt the hunger pangs running amok within me. And my goodness, the flavors of the dish astounded me, threw me off my work desk as I munched on till it lasted.
Crispy, with a hint of sweetness this was one perfect, easy to make snack that does not cost you more than five bucks if you are in India!
Note
The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Wok
- Knife
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions
Preparing the Mix for Crispy Potato Peel
- Slice the chillies very finely
- In a mixing bowl, take all the ingredients mentioned except the potato peels
- Mix properly using your hand or a spoon. I prefer using my hand.
- Drop in the potato peels and give it a nice mix. The potato peels should coat properly
Making the Aloo Khosha Bhaja
- Heat a wok and add the oil to it
- Once the oil starts smoking, ensure that the flame is set to medium
- Drop in the potato peels one by one in the oil very carefully, avoid over crowding in the wok
- Fry till crisp and separate in a kitchen towel
- Serve hot with tea or rice and dal
Notes
- When you use potato in your curries, do not throw away the peel. Wash, dry and store them in a container. Refrigerate for future use
- Ensure that you wash the peels thoroughly to remove any starch from it
- If you cut the potato peels a bit thicker, you will have a crispier end result
- I have used bengal gram flour or sattu in this recipe as it was made the during the lockdown and I had run out of the common flour. You can use the same too
- You can serve this with tea. You can also serve this along with rice and dal
- You can skip the salt during the preparation process and sprinkle chaat masala on the top while serving. You can also juice down half a lemon for a tangy flavour
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