Jeera Aloo/Cumin Flavored Stir Fried Potatoes

 If you are ever in a rush but still want to eat a tasty, savory home-cooked meal - sounds like most of the time, doesn't it - this dish might just be your perfect answer. Ready in under ten minutes if you have the ingredients and very versatile in what it can go with. Hubs tells me he relates to this dish in a rather strange sort of way. In his single days in India, when he almost always ate out at restaurants, he always saw this dish in most every menu but always ignored it - who goes to a restaurant to eat sauteed potatoes, right? Well right until he got so sick of eating the same paneer and mushroom every single time that he finally ordered it with some plain rice and yellow daal and loved it. That's how he says he remembers this dish. Not a very fun way to remember such a flavorful preparation, I tease him, and we have a good laugh about it.
Indeed, there is something to be said about the versatility of this dish. Eat it as a side with some rice and daal or just with your humble roti and it becomes lunch or dinner, wrap it up with some lettuce and onions in a tortilla and it makes for a great wrap or just stick some toothpicks in them and they are a great starter. What's more is that they are a great picnic food too and can be carried in a lunchbox for a few hours without the need to be refrigerated. This makes them great for short trips as well. Give it a try and it tends to stick with you for those times when you cannot think of anything else or those when you simply crave them.

Ingredients: serves 4 - 6

Potatoes		6 medium, firm boiled and cubed
Cumin seeds		2 tsp
Asafoetida		a pinch
Oil		2 tsp
Turmeric powder		1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder		1 tsp
Coriander powder		2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder		1 tsp
Amchur/Dry mango powder		1 tsp
Cilantro leaves		4 tbsp, chopped
Salt		to taste

Method:
1. In a small bowl mix red chilli powder, coriander, roasted cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt and dry mango powder. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and saute till it splutters and is fragrant, about a minute. Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix and cook while continuously stirring for a minute, be careful not to burn the spices.  3. Add potato and stir gently till the spices cover all the potato cubes well and gets crispy and golden on the edges, about 3-4 minutes on medium heat to medium high heat. Add cilantro leaves and stir. Serve hot with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. ENJOY!

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