Hello buddies. Today I am sharing the recipe of Batata Harra or Lebanese Spiced Potatoes. This is a Lebanese dish and it’s full of wonderful flavours of the freshly pound spices. You can say it’s a potato salad recipe. This is one of the best potato recipes I have had in a long time.
This particular recipe is adapted from Chef Ranveer Brar’s recipe for Batata Harra. Almost all the ingredients are same, except for a couple of them. Also, I found the original recipe less spicy for my taste. So I also bumped up the amount of chillies.
It goes well as a side dish with grilled chicken. I have tried having it with chapati and it tastes like a brand new version of aloo-shimla ki sabzi! Equally delicious either way! It completes your meal and takes the taste factor up a notch as well.
So let’s start with this delicious gem of a Lebanese recipe of batata harra. This recipe yields 3-4 servings.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – 3 medium, boiled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- Capsicum – 1 medium, chut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Oil – to deep fry the potatoes + 1 tbsp
- Garlic – 10 cloves, chopped
- Cumin seeds – 3/4 tsp
- Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp, coarsely pounded
- Black pepper powder – 1 and 1/2 tsp or to taste, freshly ground
- Salt – to taste
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Red chilli flakes – 1 and 1/2 tbsp or to taste (I made using Byadgi mirchi, which is a medium hot variety)
- Cilantro- a handful, finely chopped
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
- Tomato – 1 medium, finely chopped
How to Make Batata Harra
- Heat sufficient oil in a skillet. Add in the cubed, boiled potatoes and sprinkle some salt. Deep fry the potatoes till they turn crunchy and golden brown.
- Drain them well. Take them out into a bowl. Keep aside for a while.
- In another pan or skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add in the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
- Keep the heat to low and add in the chilli flakes and pounded coriander seeds. Sauté for a few seconds and try not to burn the spices.
- Add in the garlic and sauté on low flame for half a minute, stirring constantly till the raw smell goes away.
- Add in the tomato, but reserve 1/3 of it for later use. Cook the tomato till it softens and you have a nice gravy.
- Add in the capsicum and sauté it for half a minute. Do not over cook it. We need it to stay crunchy.
- Add in the salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- Add in the fried potatoes and mix well. Add in the remaining 1/3 of the tomato.
- Let the potato get nicely hot and coated with spices. Sprinkle lemon juice and add cilantro.
- Add sugar. Mix well. The potatoes will have gotten hot by now.
- Switch off the flame and mix in 4 tbsp of mayonnaise. Mix well.
- Batata Harra is ready. Serve, hot warm or cold with your favourite grilled meat or pot roast. Enjoy!