Name: Ala thel dala (Fried potato curry)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 1 onion, chopped; 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 4–5 tablespoons virgin coconut oil; 4 large russet or other boiling potatoes, washed well, skin on; 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste; 2 teaspoons chilli flakes

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 5

Appears in

Lands of the Curry Leaf

By Peter Kuruvita

Published 2018

About

In Sri Lanka, this was one of my favourite dry curries. You can add it to a dosai to make masala dosai, serve it with Puri, or just roll it up in a roti and enjoy it as a snack with tamarind chutney.

Ingredients

4 large russet or other boiling potatoes, washed well, skin on
4–5 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
2

Method

Boil the whole potatoes in their skins in a large saucepan of water over high heat for about 20 minutes. Make sure the potatoes aren’t too soft — they need to have some remaining bite to them.

Drain the potatoes and leave to cool slightly, then peel them and cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes. Set aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-based, deep-sided saucepan over medium–high hea