Shredded Potatoes with Peanuts and Chiles
I went back to 660 Curries and found a recipe my sister hadn't recommended. Even better, when I offered the girl who came over for dinner her choice of "untested Indian recipe" or "untested other recipe", she went with untested Indian. I figure that's a good sign, and she certainly liked this dish, which was both tasty and easy to make.
Shredded Potatoes with Peanuts and Chiles
1/4 cup raw peanuts (no skins)
4 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
1 pound russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium size tomato, cored and chopped fine
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
6 fresh green Thai chiles, stems removed, sliced crosswise (do not remove seeds)
1 cup water
And if you can figure out how chopped fine is different from minced, you are a better person than I am.
1. Shred the potatoes. I did this in my food processor, a box grater would have worked. Submerge shredded potatoes in cold water to prevent the color going off.
2. Put the peanuts in the food processor and make them resemble bread crumbs.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add peanuts and stir-fry until they are golden brown. They'll smell nutty; this will take 2-3 minutes. Transfer peanuts to small plate and wipe skillet clean.
5. Drain potatoes and pat dry.
6. Heat last 2 tablespoons of oil in same skillet, again over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions and stir-fry until they are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in tomato, cilantro, turmeric and chiles. Stir in water and peanuts.
8. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens - this will happen very quickly.
I only used 3 chiles and it was plenty hot. Also, don't over do the oil when you do the peanuts or you'll either have extra oil or overly brown peanuts. You may want to try to squeeze some water out of the potatoes before you stir-fry them; I had to cook them longer then 15 to get browning, and I suspect that excess water is the reason why.
With that said, this was reasonably quick and easy to make. It fed two people with enough left over for one lunch. And yes, she was impressed.
Shredded Potatoes with Peanuts and Chiles
1/4 cup raw peanuts (no skins)
4 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
1 pound russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium size tomato, cored and chopped fine
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
6 fresh green Thai chiles, stems removed, sliced crosswise (do not remove seeds)
1 cup water
And if you can figure out how chopped fine is different from minced, you are a better person than I am.
1. Shred the potatoes. I did this in my food processor, a box grater would have worked. Submerge shredded potatoes in cold water to prevent the color going off.
2. Put the peanuts in the food processor and make them resemble bread crumbs.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add peanuts and stir-fry until they are golden brown. They'll smell nutty; this will take 2-3 minutes. Transfer peanuts to small plate and wipe skillet clean.
5. Drain potatoes and pat dry.
6. Heat last 2 tablespoons of oil in same skillet, again over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions and stir-fry until they are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in tomato, cilantro, turmeric and chiles. Stir in water and peanuts.
8. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens - this will happen very quickly.
I only used 3 chiles and it was plenty hot. Also, don't over do the oil when you do the peanuts or you'll either have extra oil or overly brown peanuts. You may want to try to squeeze some water out of the potatoes before you stir-fry them; I had to cook them longer then 15 to get browning, and I suspect that excess water is the reason why.
With that said, this was reasonably quick and easy to make. It fed two people with enough left over for one lunch. And yes, she was impressed.