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 RecipeWhat I Used:5 medium potatoes - boiled, peeled and cubed1 1/2 cups coconut milk1 onion, chopped2 green chillies, finely chopped1/2" piece ginger2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped1/2 tsp turmeric powdersalt to tasteGrind to a Smooth Paste1 tsp poppy seeds / khus khus, powdered (I didn't have this)3 dried red chillies1 tbsp roasted Bengal gram / Channa dal / Kadala paruppu1 tbsp coriander seeds / malli1/2 tsp fennel seeds / saunf / perum jeerakam1/2" stick cinnamon2-3 tbsp waterFor Tempering2 tbsp oil1/2 tsp mustard seeds1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera / jeerakam1/2 tsp urad dal / ulatham paruppu / uzhunnu parippu1 tsp Bengal gram / Channa dal / Kadala paruppu1 sprig curry leavesHow 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!
Posts
I love the ingredients used for making the paste. :) and it can be used as a base for any vegetable. simple and yummy! will try this sometime soon..
ReplyDeleteSiri
As I was reading through the ingredients of paste, was thinking of using it in combination with other veggies. And there u have said at the end of the post. Saagu looks creamy. would love to try this.
ReplyDeletePotato sagu looks nice creamy and is new to me! Luved the props used esp the sheet used underneath the bowl :)
ReplyDeletelovely recipe
ReplyDeleteNever seen a saagu recipe with coconut milk. The 2nd picture looks very good, foreground all bright, with a dark background.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeletelooks creamy n rich with spices!interesting version...completely different from what I know. Thanks for the recipe. lovely clarity of pics, looks beautiful.
TC
Looks so rich n delicious..Potato sagu is a new recipe to me..I love the idea of adding coconut milk :)
ReplyDeleteI have never had this dish, i am so going to try this. Looks so yumm.
ReplyDeletePoppy seeds are available in Singapore? That is strange. Yes, Karnataka Saagu must have Poppy seeds,gives it that a unique taste but your saagu looks so yum. I love it with Poori. Good looking recipe, I love her books too! :)
ReplyDeleteRemember that episode in Seinfeld where Elaine keeps eating stuff that has poppy seeds sprinkled??
ReplyDeleteNice sagu :) Didn't know about the coconut milk element.
I like this with pooris the best! Sounds yummy,but never tried like this before!
ReplyDeleteSo cool - I have been getting bored with the spice paste I use for veggies so, this is definitely much needed!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the pic :)
Tee hee - I remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine keeps testing positive for drugs because of poppy seeds. They were never to be found in Dubai too.
I was reminded of that Seinfeld episode too - the poor thing kept eating those poppy seed muffins... :)
ReplyDeleteSaagu looks delicious - i've only heard of the mixed vegetable variety.
Thats a yummy looking aloo curry.You should probably think of getting some poppy seeds (powdered if whole is not allowed) from India on your next visit. Nice pics.
ReplyDeleteLooks perfect..Asha had some Sagu recipes which i tried..this one looks tempting for me to check
ReplyDeleteWhen I read "saagu" I thought you'd be using some green leafy veggie with this but I was pleasantly surprised :) I know why you didnt have poppy seeds with you :)
ReplyDeleteThe dish looks great! I usually dont come across a lot of preparations that feature potatoes and coconut together (avial being the prominent one). This looks very good :)
yum! isn't it a bummer when some ingredients ae banned...i remem searching for a banned ingredient myself..forgot it's name...and i kept thinking my dish would somehow be better if i used it :)..btw. ur prev. post...the babycorn and carrot recipe...looks lovely..i tried to comment on it but jeeves computer was acting up...just like him....ha ha..kidding :)
ReplyDeletenew recipe.. would love to try. did u use ready made coconut milk? can i substitute with ground coconut paste?
ReplyDeleteWith coconut milk - thats new !! great to have with hot puris :)
ReplyDeleteLooking good!!!!!!!!!!surely try it out
ReplyDeleteLove sagus, esp aloo ones. Pics are very tempting..
ReplyDeleteNew name & recipe for me. i like anything with poppy seed in it.
ReplyDeletePotato saagu with puri or rava idli is simply great. Simply delicous ur saagu!
ReplyDeleteSounds delicious. I usually replace the khus khus with ground cashews. This gives a creamy texture to the dish!
ReplyDeleteMahimaa - Usually I get readymade coconut milk when I plan to cook with it but for this one I the coconut milk myself. You can very well use readymade coconut milk too. Adding coconut paste would give it a different texture but go for it! :)
ReplyDeletethis has to be so very tasty
ReplyDeletewhenever I read about poppy seeds I remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine has a chicken dish with poppy seeds just before a drug test :) I didn't know poppy seeds were banned because of that though! I love the masala, it sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteHi Nags, the sagu sounds like a good combination with pooris and rotis!
ReplyDeleteI brought khuskhus and whole spices to Singapore from Bangalore :)
Don't be confused, I am Lissie here.
That's an interesting factoid about the poppy seeds being banned in Singapore! I always thought potato sagu was the usual accompaniment to puris, as that's what the menus say - Puri Sagu. Didn't know there was all this to it. Am enlightened :-D
ReplyDeleteLooks yumm. Haven't had this version but a friend in B'lore used to make a potato saagu with some MTR saagu powder or some such stuff. That tasted great
ReplyDeleteYou can never go wrong with potatoes, can you?
ReplyDeleteLike Sra said, that poppy seed info is something!
Looks yumm. Haven't had this version but a friend in B'lore used to make a potato saagu with some MTR saagu powder or some such stuff. That tasted great
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting factoid about the poppy seeds being banned in Singapore! I always thought potato sagu was the usual accompaniment to puris, as that's what the menus say - Puri Sagu. Didn't know there was all this to it. Am enlightened :-D
ReplyDeleteNever seen a saagu recipe with coconut milk. The 2nd picture looks very good, foreground all bright, with a dark background.
ReplyDeletePotato sagu looks nice creamy and is new to me! Luved the props used esp the sheet used underneath the bowl :)
ReplyDeleteTried the recipe and the family simply loved it. Just skipped the coconut milk at the end. Still reeling from the after effects :)
ReplyDelete