Bengali-Style Crunchy Potatoes

A reader recently noted that judging by my entries here, I don't cook with potatoes very often. It's not that I don't enjoy potatoes, but in general, I consume carbohydrate packed foods like pasta and potatoes in moderation. My reader's observation got me thinking about the versatility of such foods however, and I quickly recalled one of my favorite spicy potato recipes made with panch phoran, a spice mixture of fenugreek, nigella, mustard, cumin and fennel seeds (also known as panch phoron, panch puran, panchpuran, punch puram, punchpuram, and Bengali five-spice). If you don't happen to have any panch phoran on hand, it's easy to make your own and it keeps in a sealed jar for a good many months.

Depending on the size of your pan and the quantity of potatoes you use, it might be necessary to fry the potatoes in two batches to ensure they brown evenly. Simply set the first batch of potatoes aside while you fry up the second batch and then return all of the potatoes to the pan before adding the spice mixture and lemon juice.

Crunchy Potatoes, Bengali-Style

4 - 5 large potatoes, chopped into cube-sized chunks
3 - 4 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
2 tablespoons of panch phoron
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
3 - 4 fresh chilies, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
juice from one small lemon
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley or coriander

Boil or steam the potatoes until they are almost tender.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir and fry the panch phora until it is fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and ground spices to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the contents of the pan to a small bowl and set aside.

Next add the potatoes to the pan, adding more oil if necessary to prevent sticking, and gently fry the potatoes until they are golden brown and crisp - about 10 - 15 minutes. To finish off, add the spice mixture to the cooked potatoes, along with the lemon juice and salt and pepper. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh parsley or coriander. Serves 4 - 6 people.