Friday Night Dins:Indian Matza, Aloo Saag and Spicy Potato Fritters

It was Friday evening and I was feeling ambitious. I usually make just one dish and then devour it. But I thought I would make a full meal for a change. I was also craving home cooked Indian food, so with that in mind I set out to cook. I made aloo saag, which is spicy potatoes with spinach, spicy potato fritters and I also tossed some Greek yogurt with chopped cucumbers to cool off with after all the spicy food! I also tried making rotis (Indian flat bread) with matzo meal, and they turned out more like real matzo! I thought I would call them Indian Matzo.

Everything came out surprisingly good! I was hoping the Indian Matzo could have been more uniform shapes, but it turned out to be fun and entertaining to have random shaped pieces instead!

Aloo Saag (Potatoes with Spinach)

Ingredients:

1 bag of chopped frozen spinach
1 medium sized red potato chopped into small chunks
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 dried chili
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a sauce pan and cook onions on a low fire till translucent. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Next add turmeric, chili powder and dried chili. Stirring cook for a minute or two. Add potatoes and stir. After a couple of minutes add the frozen spinach and add water. Season with salt and pepper and stir all together. Simmer on slow fire for about 10 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.

Spicy Potato fritters

Ingredients:

3 to 4 Idaho potatoes boiled and peeled
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method:

Mash potatoes and mix with turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. Form small balls in your fist and then flatten into patties. Fry for a few minutes per side and serve hot with ketchup or hot sauce.

Indian Matza

Ingredients:

1 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons yogurt

Method:

Place matzo meal in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add water and oil and mix forming dough. Add yogurt and more water and knead dough and then cover with a damp cloth. Form small balls, flatten and then roll out using a rolling pin. I was aiming for square shapes but got a rectangle with feathered edges! Heat pan till hot and place rolled out dough in pan. Let cook for a minute, or till brown spots form on one side and then flip over. Dot with a few drops of oil and then flip over again. Keep in pan till cooked. Serve hot.

Great news! Cooking 4 all Seasons is hosting an event called Roti Mela. Check out details here. http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/. I am sending in this post, Indian Matza and also excited to try out some other types of roti.