Potato saagu

Saturday, 11 AM. My struggle with my daughter's breakfast feeding is not yet over. But I have to get started with lunch preparation. Hubby dear shares in my predicament too and tries to get my daughter to drink atleast a few ounces of milk. Nothing works. I finally decide to let go and start making lunch, with the hopes that she will eat her second meal atleast properly. I open the refrigerator and a shocker awaits. There are no vegetables, except tomatoes. Then it hits me... Yes vegetable and fruit shopping is due and I had absolutely forgotten. Too late to send hubby dear for this. I hunt in the kitchen cabinets for onions and potatoes. Yes, check. Hunt in the freezer for frozen green peas. Check. We're good so far. Spices are always there, so check. Papads, check.

I make plain rice and tomato rasam. My little angel already told me when I was laying out food choices in the morning, that she wants to eat "ratham buuva". I just had to make this potato and peas saagu for us.

Here is what I did:

Ingredients: 

Potatoes (large) - 2

Onion (large) -1

Green Peas - 3/4 cup

Saunf powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsbp

Salt - to taste

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing

Slice the onions coarsely and dice the potatoes.

Heat the oil in a cooker and cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the onions and fry. Add the saunf and cumin powders. Add the ginger and garlic paste along with the garam masala. Finally add the potatoes and peas and fry for a few minutes. Add the chilli powder and salt and pour about 300 ml of water and close the cooker. Allow two whistles and turn off the flame. Open the cooker and mash most of the potato pieces to make a slightly thick curry.

Garnish with coriander and curry leaves and serve hot with jeera rice/peas pulav or even plain white rice.

Verdict:Potatoes and frozen green peas are a boon, when we are running short of vegetables and we do not want to bore the household with eggs once again ;). I go that route very often. But this saagu is traditionally made a little thick and served with Rava idli/dosa or even upma. But I made it watery to go with rice. This can be had with dosa/roti as well. This one is definitely a winner.