The South Indian Urulai Roast or Potato Curry is, without a doubt, a cult favorite in the Tamil household. Commonly served as a delicious side to a warm plate of any rice-based dish, or folded in a wrap or chapati, potato curry makes for a quick, wholesome side dish. Often known as urulai kari or urulai kizhangu poriyal, this is one recipe I reach for time and time again!
How is Potato Curry used/served in a South Indian Meal?
It should be noted that a fair amount of people in India are vegetarian and consider potatoes an important vegetable to add some bulk to any meal, thanks to the ample amount of carbs it provides for people to sustain throughout the day!
Traditionally, the potato curry is served as the main vegetable side dish on a banana leaf alongside rice and sambar/ vathal kuzhambu.
Modern India uses it in wraps, as fillings in savory pastries, samosas, Indian-style cutlets, or had as is for a snack!
Spices for making Potato curry
The ingredients for this student-friendly dish are quite minimal. All you need is Turmeric, Red Chilly powder, and salt for seasoning and some mustard seeds, and split urad dal for tempering. The best part about this dish is the tempering is optional. Of course, the extra step of tempering lends some amazing flavors to this otherwise humble dish.
How To Make South Indian Potato Curry Recipe
Step 1 – Wash, Peel, and Cut the Potatoes
Step 2 – Heat the pan. Once it is hot, add olive oil, mustard seeds, and urad dal. Roast till the dal turns a reddish brown.
Step 3 – Add the potatoes, turmeric, and red chili powder. Roast slightly.
Step 4 – Add salt.
Notice how I changed the style of cut for the potato here. That’s because the cut does not have to be cubes for this recipe. Even a French fry cut works!
Step 5 – Roast till golden brown
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South Indian Potato Curry | Urulai Kari | Urulai Kizhangu Poriyal
Potatoes sautéed in spices – An essential South Indian favorite
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 people
Ingredients
- 6 medium Gold Potatoes (Red or Russets or any other variety can be used.)
- 4-5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- Salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper (ground)
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds (small)
- 1 tsp Urad Dal (Split or Whole)
- 1 tsp Ghee (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes
- Cut them to your desired shape. I have a french fry style cut here
- Heat up your pan on medium heat for a min or until hot
- Add olive oil
- When the oil is hot, add your mustard seeds and urad dal
- After the mustard seeds pop, add your cut potatoes
- Add the spices (turmeric and red chilli powder). Do not add salt.
- When the potatoes are slightly roasted, add the salt.
- Sauté every 30 seconds until roasted golden brown.
- Add in your black pepper and ghee.
- Serve hot with rice and sambar or rasam.
Notes
- When cooking potatoes, do not add salt immediately as this draws the water out and makes the potato mushy.
- Adding the salt after slightly roasting draws enough moisture to keep the potato crisp on the outside and buttery on the inside.
- Mustard seeds and urad dal add a crunch element to the dish, which is a classic tempering cocktail in South Indian recipes. But this is optional.
- Black pepper and ghee give the dish the final oomph it deserves. This is also optional since there is already enough heat with the red chili powder. You could do a mix of both red chili powder and pepper by adjusting the quantity accordingly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu
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