TranslateUrulaikizhangu varuval, or potato roast, is the side dish that makes a plain rice meal memorable. Cubed or sliced potatoes are shallow-fried slowly with mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and chilli powder until the edges caramelise and crisp. It appears next to sambar rice, rasam rice and curd rice on banana leaves across Tamil Nadu.
Type
Vegetarian side dish
Meal occasion
Lunch and dinner, banana-leaf meals
Region
Statewide; the Nilgiris and Kongu belt grow much of the potato
Key ingredients
Potato, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilli powder, turmeric, gingelly oil
Potatoes are par-boiled or cooked directly in the pan, then tossed in oil tempered with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Turmeric, chilli powder and salt go in, and the potatoes are left largely undisturbed over a low flame so each face browns.
The flavour is earthy and warmly spiced with a distinct curry-leaf aroma, and the texture ranges from crisp-edged cubes to soft, spice-coated slices depending on the cook.
Chettinad kitchens add a coarse masala of fennel, pepper and dried chilli. A common home version coats the slices in rice flour before frying for extra crunch. In the Kongu region the roast is drier and heavier on curry leaves, while in Chennai messes it is often finished with a squeeze of lemon.
Any full banana-leaf meal restaurant will include a poriyal or varuval, and potato roast is the most common choice. Chettinad restaurants in Karaikudi and Madurai serve a more heavily spiced version, and Nilgiris hill towns like Ooty and Coonoor use locally grown potatoes.
