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Ala thel dala
Devilled potatoes
Ala thel dala: Sri Lankan devilled potatoes tossed with chilli flakes, onion and curry leaves
Ala thel dala means 'potato tempered in oil', and it's the quick, fiery potato fry that Sri Lankan mothers make when there's no time for a full curry, served with rice, packed into a lunch box with parippu, or eaten with bread at breakfast. Boiled potato cubes are tossed in hot oil with mustard seeds, plenty of red onion, curry leaves, turmeric and roughly crushed dried chilli until the edges turn golden and the onion goes soft and sweet. Unlike an Indian aloo sabzi there are no ground cumin or coriander, just chilli heat, onion and curry leaf. The usual mistake is boiling the potatoes until they're soft right through; they then break up in the pan. Chef's tip: stop boiling when a knife still meets a little resistance in the middle; the potatoes finish cooking in the pan and keep their shape.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb waxy potatoespeeled and cut into 2.5 cm cubes
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 red onionlarge, sliced into thin half-moons
- 2 garlic clovessliced
- 1 ½ tsp dried red chilli flakesuse less for mild
- 1 green chilli (optional)sliced
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb waxy potatoes in a pan of cold water with ¼ tsp ground turmeric and ½ tsp salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 6–8 minutes, until a knife goes in easily at the edge but meets slight resistance in the centre. Drain and leave to steam dry for 2 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil in a wide frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds and let them crackle for 20–30 seconds.
Step 3: Add 1 red onion, 2 garlic cloves, 15 fresh curry leaves and 1 green chilli if using and fry for 3–4 minutes, until the onion is soft and turning golden at the edges.
4 minStep 4: Stir in 1 ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes and the rest of ¼ tsp ground turmeric for 20 seconds; the oil should turn orange-red and smell hot.
Step 5: Tip in the potatoes with the rest of ½ tsp salt and toss gently. Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning only every minute or so, until the edges are golden and crisp and the onions cling to the potatoes.
5 minStep 6: Taste for salt and heat and serve hot with rice and parippu, or with bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ala thel dala take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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