Ingredients

1. Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves – 15
4. Dry chillies (long, broken) – 3
5. Shallots (sambar onions) – 150 to 170 gms
6. Potatoes (baby potatoes) – 300 gms

Roast

7. Urad dal – 2 tsp
8. Dry Red chilli – 1 or 2
9. Black Pepper (peppercorns) – 1 tsp
10. Curry leaves – 10
11. Salt - as required

Method

1. Peel the skin of the baby potatoes and onion (shallots). Keep them aside.
2. Heat a pan or tava, add urad dal, dry red chilli (remove the seeds), curry leaves and black pepper, roast on simmer until light brown in colour and a good aroma comes.
3. Add the spices in a spice mixer and grind to a fine powder.
4. Take a kadai or any vessel and add oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. Let it splutter, then add shallots (not chopped) and curry leaves.
5. Cook the whole shallots, until light transparent colour comes on it.
6. Add potatoes, sauté for 2 to 3 mins on a medium flame and cook on simmer until it is cooked by closing the lid.
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7. In between stir it, see to it that shallots are not burnt.
8. Add the ground spice mixture, salt and mix well, simmer the flame for 4 to 5 mins, by closing the lid.
9. The potatoes should be well coated with the spice masala.
10. Add coriander leaves and sauté for 2 mins on medium flame and switch it off.

Notes

1. You can add boiled potatoes, immediately after suateing shallots and let the potatoes be roasted with shallots for a few mins on medium flame until light brown colour comes on it.
2. If baby potatoes are not available, you can cook with ordinary potatoes also.
3. You can avoid red chilli if you want.
4. If adding boiled potatoes, the shallots will not get much roasted as raw potatoes will take time and has to be cooked with the shallots. But both tasted good for me.