Potato Palya Is the Buttery Potato Stir-Fry You’ll Make on Repeat

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6 Servings

his is the special potato palya or potato stir-fry that is filled into masala dosa, though I make this recipe on its own quite a bit as well. The potatoes are spicy and tangy and cooked with a little butter until they are soft enough to melt in your mouth. You can apply the same technique to steamed sweet potato or squash, such as butternut, acorn, or kabocha, which is wonderful as a dumpling filling.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds red or Yukon gold potatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger
1 medium yellow onion
1 fresh green Indian or serrano chile, or 1 dried red chile (such as Guntur Sannam, cayenne, or arbol)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Pinch asafetida (hing) powder
1/2 teaspoon chana dal (dried split chickpeas)
1/2 teaspoon skinned urad dal (dried split matpe beans)
4 to 5 fresh curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Instructions

Place 1 1/2 pounds potatoes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large saucepan and add enough cool water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and grate a 1-inch piece fresh ginger until you have 2 teaspoons. Dice 1 medium yellow onion. Trim and chop 1 Indian green chile or serrano chile (remove the seeds and membranes first if you want it less spicy), or stem and break 1 dried red chile in half. Squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice and coarsely chop 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro.
Drain the potatoes and let cool until warm. Coarsely chop into bite-size pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1 tablespoon ghee or butter in a wok or large frying pan until the oil is shimmering. Add in 1 black mustard seed. When it sizzles and pops, add 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds and a pinch of asafetida powder. Immediately cover the pan when the mustard seeds start popping. When the popping starts to subside, add 1/2 teaspoon chana dal and 1/2 teaspoon urad dal. Stir to coat with the oil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often so they evenly toast, until they turn a reddish golden-brown color and smell nutty, less than 1 minute.
Rub 4 to 5 fresh curry leaves between your fingers a little to release their natural oils and drop them, the ginger, and chopped or dried chile into the pan. Immediately cover the pan, as moisture from curry leaves will cause the oil to spurt. Once the sputtering stops, stir to evenly coat everything with oil and continue to fry for 10 to 15 seconds.
Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring often, until they start to become soft and mashable. If the pan is getting dry, add a little oil as needed.
Remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice and cilantro and stir to combine. Taste and season with more lemon juice and kosher salt as needed. Use as a filling for dosa to make masala dosa, or as a side to any meal.