Teekha Aloo - Hot Potatoes

I don't seem to do good with naming recipes. I mean really! There are so many recipes that are our household favourites and has a good name in our dailect but trying to put it into english makes it sound like HOT potatoes hahaha!

Teekha aloo is the only thing I knew to cook even when I was 12 ! Thats a big deal because I never pour myself a glass of milk till I got married. Heights of laziness isn't it ? But that brings us back to why only this ? Because I craved Teekha Aloo way too often. Like every other evening I wanted to eat this and mom was fed up of making it. Not only did I want it just about any day, I carved it at odd times. So the only solution and mind you this is the only time I went to the kitchen was to make it myself.

I remember the first time. Mom had instructed me to  boil the potatoes in the pressure cooker which ofcourse  I couldn't and she fixed it. After about 15- 20 minutes I got too excited and couldn't wait no longer to have the damn potatoes. I go straight to the pressure cooker and forcfully pull the lid. Most of the potatoes ended up the ceiling and the rest was spilled over the stove. Ah! that moment. I was scared to death. Not more for what happened but for how much I will have to hear from mom for this. And I did! Mom just couldn't stop yelling  " what if it would spill on you!!".

Luckily nowadays the pressure cookers come with lot of safety features and I can't pull the lid until the pressure is out. Because you never know, when it comes to Teekha aloo I still might do it :)

The recipe it self is Potatoes + 4 spices = Deliciosness! So yeah! you know it now it wasn't any rocket science when I said I started making it when I was 12.  It is actually a speciality of the village we hail from and is a must have recipe for evening snack.

 Before the evening prayers, the seller (the only person who sold it in the village) would start marching and screaming over his voice " Teekhaaa aaaaloooouaaa". Why he was only one seller was becuase everyone made it at home but this guy had the timing. He would come exactly at the time people are winding up to go to mosque for prayers and on there way no one could resist it!

So enough said. Lets get to the recipe. A word of caution though, this is quiet a literal translation Hot Potatoes! They shall burn you, take you to hell and then bring you back to heaven. Ofcourse you can reduce the heat, acutally you should. And further reduce it for a much milder taste but we like it Hot!

Teekha Aloo
Serves : 1-2 people

Ingredients
2-3 Large sized potatoes
1 tbsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp amchur powder/ mango powder
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil


Method:

Boil the potatoes till they are cooked through. Peel and cut into large size cubes. Mash a few cubes.

Meanwhile mix the spices and water together including the salt.

 Let the oil heat in a kadhai and add the potatoes.

Add the spiced water  and lightly mix it. Let cook for 5 minutes.

 Serve with a wedge of lemon.