Easy! Sri Lankan Devilled Potato (Ala Thel Dala)
Devilled Potato is a Sri Lankan-style spicy dry potato curry, a classic side dish locally known as Ala Thel Dala or Ala Baduma.
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 500 g boiled potato peeled, cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2- inch cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon dry roasted fenugreek see the notes
- 5 to 10 curry leaves
- 2- inch pandan leaves
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 fresh green chilies sliced
- 2 fresh red chilies sliced
- 1 teaspoon powdered turmeric
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes adjust as needed
Instructions
- Cook potatoes in a pan of boiling water for about10 minutes until almost cooked.
- Drain. Set aside.
- Peel the boiled potatoes and chop them into cubes and keep them aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add mustard seeds. Let the seeds crackle.
- Sauté the garlic until it is fragrant, about 20 to 30 seconds.
- Add curry leaves. pandan leaves cinnamon and fenugreek and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the onion, and green and red chilies, and sauté until the onion is soft.
- Add turmeric, salt, and pepper and stir well.
- Add potato and mix well with other ingredients stirring frequently for about 3 minutes.
- Add chili flakes and stir well. Check for pepper & salt and add if needed.
- The devilled potato is ready. Serve hot.
Notes
You can dry roast the fenugreek seeds in a hot dry pan for about 2-3 minutes until it changes slightly in color and turns fragrant. Make sure not to over-roast or burn the seeds to avoid making the dish bitter.