FOOD TALK
The good old potato 
Pushpesh Pant 

Remember the old Dell Comics' punch line? 'Is it a Bird or an Airplane? No! It's Superman!' We felt like that when we first encountered aloo ki asharfi. It has since become our favourite and has pushed back assorted veg tikka and kebab from our shakahari cocktail platter. It tastes equally good when hot or at room temperature, is ideally shaped as finger food, can be enjoyed by itself or used as a base for a canapé. Not difficult to prepare, it is not laden with stuff that will burden you with guilt. (Caveat: This holds true if you can resist the temptation and restrict your consumption to a few asharfi at a time.) You can let your imagination run wild andmake the filling minty, cheesy or peppery. Thanks to our young friend, Namita Srivastav from Bihar married to Sanjay, political science professor, BHU. at BHU. Thanks folks!

Aloo ki asharfi

Ingredients

Plain flour (maida) 2-1/2 cup

Potatoes (medium sized, 4

boiled peeled and mashed)

Saunf (fennel seeds) 1 tsp

Aromatic garam masala ½ tsp

(preferably homemade)

Pinch of haldi

Large pinch of dried pudina

leaves (crumbled)

Salt to taste

Oil (for moin) ½ cup

Oil to deep fry

Method

Make firm dough adding just sufficient quantity of water to the oil. Roll out in seven-inch diameter discs like a chapatti. Blend powdered spices and salt with mashed potatoes. Spread a layer of potato mash over chappati discs after sprinkling saunf and pudina leaves. Roll as you would a springroll. Slice into quarter-inch thick "coins". Heat oil in a deep pan and fry these asharfi in batches till light golden. Enjoy hot or at room temperature with or without chutney.

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