Potato Poriyal

1. Heat the oil in a pan until it becomes hot. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, dried red chilli, and curry leaves. Allow the mustard splutter. Add the chopped garlic and onions.Fry the ingredients till they are soft.
2. Add the diced potatoes, salt, sambar powder, turmeric and asafoetida and mix well.
3. Pour water into the pan and cover it with a lid. Let it simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove the lid and sauté the potatoes for about 20 minutes until it turns brown and roasted.
4. Toss at regular intervals. The heat should be low. After 20 minutes, you should get that brown colour and the potatoes should be roasted.

Trivia

1. President Thomas Jefferson served French Fries at the White House.
2. Potatoes were being harvested from the Fort Vancouver garden of Dr. John McLoughlin around 1825. He ordered them to prevent his soldiers falling prey to scurvy. Based on earliest records, the fort garden generated 900 bushels of potatoes. In 1832, about 15,000 bushels of potatoes were harvested.
3. It is believed that potatoes are high in calories but this is not true. A medium-sized potato has 110 calories. Conversely, a cup of rice has 225 calories and a cup of pasta has 155 calories.