Potato Saagu / Aloo Saagu Recipe

The first time I heard about this recipe is from my mother in law. She mentioned it when talking about a buffet lunch they went to and how the aloo sagu tasted really good. When I said I hadn't heard of it before, she gave me the rough recipe. I made some notes but then forgot about it. This happened before I was gifted the awesome Simply South by Chandra Padmanabhan. 

The saw the recipe again in that book with very detailed ingredients and a nice picture too, under the title Urulaikizhangu Sagu, so I had to try it. Its a bummer that khus khus (poppy seeds) are not available in Singapore (something to do with how you test positive for drugs if you have eaten this!). I hear its even banned so trying to ship it in from India may not be such a good idea either. 

So my version does not have khus khus in it, sadly. But if you have it handy, please add it in. I am sure the taste will differ considerably! 

Potato Sagu  / Aloo Sagu Recipe

What I Used:

5 medium potatoes - boiled, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 onion, chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2" piece ginger

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

Grind to a Smooth Paste

1 tsp poppy seeds / khus khus, powdered (I didn't have this)

3 dried red chillies

1 tbsp roasted Bengal gram / Channa dal / Kadala paruppu

1 tbsp coriander seeds / malli

1/2 tsp fennel seeds / saunf / perum jeerakam

1/2" stick cinnamon

2-3 tbsp water

For Tempering

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera / jeerakam

1/2 tsp urad dal / ulatham paruppu / uzhunnu parippu

1 tsp Bengal gram / Channa dal / Kadala paruppu

1 sprig curry leaves

How I Made It:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add all ingredients for tempering. When mustard seeds start spluttering, add onions and saute till golden. 

2. Mix in green chillies, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric and salt and fry for 1-2 minutes. 

3. Stir in 1 cup water, lower heat, cover pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

4. Mix in ground spice paste and potatoes and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes until well blended. 

5. Pour in coconut milk and simmer for 1-2 minutes longer. 

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, poori or steamed rice. 

Notes:

- You can use this spice paste base for any vegetable or even a mix of vegetables. A great idea to use up the leftover vegetables almost rotting in the fridge. 

- If you have a different version or do something differently, please leave a comment, I would love to try it differently!