How to make Tempered Potatoes 🇱🇰

Delight your palate with the exotic flavors of Sri Lankan Tempered Potatoes. Known as 'Ala Thel Dala,' this dish masterfully combines golden-baked potato cubes with a tempering of caramelized red onions, fragrant mustard seeds, vibrant curry leaves, and green chilies, all laced with a rich array of spices. Perfect as a side dish or the centerpiece of a vegetarian meal, it's a delicious journey into the spices of Sri Lankan cuisine.

Ingredients

🥔 500 grams potatoes, peeled and diced
🧅 2.5 large red onions, thinly sliced
🌿 5 sprigs curry leaves
🌶️ 4 green chilies, cut lengthwise
🧂 1.5 teaspoons salt 1 tsp for potatoes, 0.5 tsp for final seasoning
🌿 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
🌱 1.5 teaspoons mustard seeds
🌿 5 cardamom pods
🌿 6 whole cloves
🌶️ 1.5 teaspoons chili flakes crushed red chilies
🧂 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
🫒 Olive oil enough to coat potatoes for baking, and 7-8 tablespoons for tempering
🍬 0.5 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1- Preheat the Oven:

• Preheat your ILVE oven to 200°C (392°F).

2- Prepare the Potatoes:

• Peel and dice 500 grams of potatoes into 1-inch cubes using a white plastic potato peeler and a knife with a silver blade and black handle.

3- Season Potatoes:

• In a stainless steel mixing bowl, season the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper, and sufficient olive oil from a glass oil dispenser with a metal spout to coat them well.

4- Add Turmeric Powder:

• Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix thoroughly until each cube is evenly coated.

5- Bake the Potatoes:

• Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a parchment-lined metal baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

6- Crush Spices:

• Crush the cardamom pods and cloves using a white ceramic mortar and pestle.

7- Heat Oil:

• In a non-stick pot on a stainless steel gas stovetop, heat 7-8 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat using a wooden spoon or spatula to stir.

8- Add Mustard Seeds:

• Add mustard seeds and wait until they start to splutter.

9- Add Curry Leaves:

• Stir in the curry leaves briefly.

10- Cook Onions:
- Add the sliced red onions, cover and cook until translucent, about 1-2 minutes.

11- Caramelize Onions:
- Uncover and continue cooking until the onions caramelize to a reddish-brown.

12- Add Aromatics:
- Add crushed cardamom and cloves, and green chilies, stirring together.

13- Add Chili Flakes:
- Sprinkle in chili flakes and cook until the chilies are tender.

14- Incorporate Baked Potatoes:
- Incorporate the baked potatoes into the pot and gently mix with the tempered ingredients.

15- Simmer the Dish:
- Cover and simmer on low heat for another 1-2 minutes.

16- Final Seasoning:
- Uncover, season with 0.5 teaspoon of salt and 0.5 teaspoon of sugar, and stir thoroughly.

17- Serve the Dish:
- Serve hot in a gray/beige ceramic serving bowl using a stainless steel fork.

Prep Time: About 30-35 minutes
Cook Time: 25-35 minutes
Total Time: 55-70 minutes
Servings: Serves 4 as a side
Equipment:

• ILVE oven
• White plastic potato peeler
• Cutting board wooden
• Knife silver blade, black handle
• Mixing bowl stainless steel
• Baking tray metal, with parchment paper
• Gas stovetop stainless steel
• Non-stick pot dark speckled
• Glass oil dispenser
• White ceramic mortar and pestle
• Wooden spoon/spatula dark wood
• Serving bowl gray/beige ceramic
• Fork stainless steel

Cooking Tips

• Bake potatoes to retain texture without becoming mushy.
• Be gentle when mixing to prevent breaking the potato cubes.

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Sri Lankan Tempered Potatoes (Ala Thel Dala)