From thogan2@bigpond.net.au Mon Mar 10 16:34:37 2003 Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 02:08:40 GMT From: hoges Newsgroups: alt.food.asian Subject: panch phora / crispy potato dish Came across this as a requirement for Bengali-style crunchy potatoes. Looked it up and found out what goes into it. I had the cumin, mustard and kalonji but not the fennel and fenugreek. I went out and bought some fennel later but couldn't find the fenugreek. Can anyone describe this seed in terms of what it tastes like or smells like. I have a description of the seed but can't imagine what it is like. Is it worth chasing up or is it not all that necessary? 1.5kg potatoes chopped in cubes 1 tbls ghee 1 tbls panch phora 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbls grated fresh ginger 1 small red chili, chopped 1tbls ground cumin 3 tbls ghee, extra 1 tsp salt 1tsp cracked black pepper 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves Cook ptoatoes until almost soft. Drain Heat ghee in pan. Cook panch phora - stir around until it is fragrant. Put in the garlic, chilli cumin. Cook for a minute or so then remove from heat Now fry the potatoes in two or three batches with the extra ghee until brown and crisp Now put the spice into the pan with all the potatoes and mix it around so it covers them. Put the salt and pepper in too. Add the lemon juice and stir carefully so you don't break the potatoes up. Sprinkle the coriander leaves and serve.