A few weeks ago, when we ordered take-out from a local Indian restaurant, I decided to tread outside my usual comfort zone and order something I hadn't tried before. I ended up with Aloo Jeera and loved it. A potato dish with an assortment of Indian spices, it was simple, but packed a flavorful punch.

Tonight, I didn't have much of an appetite and the leftovers in the fridge needed to be attacked one last time. I heated up leftovers for The Husband and Nicholas and set about to find a recipe for Aloo Jeera that I could make at home, using ingredients I already had on hand. Some websites referred to it as Aloo Jeera, as the restaurant did, and some called it Aloo Zeera. To make it even more confusing, the version I ended up going with was called Zeera Aloo. Go figure.

The guys weren't interested in it; no matter, more for me. Delicious, and a definite make again ... and a heck of a lot cheaper than ordering it in the restaurant, although I'm going to order it one more time just to compare the two. I think their version was a little wetter, so I want to see if they added onions or something else I might be missing so I have it perfect. I topped it with a little bit of sour cream. I didn't have chutney on hand, but that would have been perfect atop the sour cream. Enjoy!

Zeera Aloo (New Potatoes with Cumin)
Recipe couresy of Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking
Serving Size : 4

2 lbs new potatoes, cleaned, cooked until tender -- then peel
salt
2 1/2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (I used ground cumin)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chili powder
3 tbsps coriander leaves -- chopped (I used seeds instead)

Put oil in large frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in cumin seeds. Let seeds sizzle for a few seconds. Now put in potatoes. Turn heat down to medium. Brown potatoes lightly on all sides. Turn heat to low and ad 3/4 teaspoon salt and ground cumin, garam masala and chili powder. Cook, stirring for a minute. Add coriander leaves and mix before serving.

Labels: Aloo Jeera, Aloo Zeera, Madhur Jaffrey, Zeera Aloo