Should I Temper The Spices For The Panchphoran Potatoes?

Our answer

Nigella's version of Panchphoran Aloo (from HOW TO EAT) are spiced cubes of potato that are perfect for brunch, lunch, dinner, with cold cuts or with leftovers. The potatoes are cooked in a large frying pan or wok so that they have plenty of space to spread out, as they are fried on a high heat at the beginning and end of the recipe.

Spices are often cooked in hot oil, known as tempering, to be added to a dish at the end of cooking or at the beginning of a dish before other ingredients are included. The hot oil brings out the flavour of the spices. However, tempering needs to be done carefully as otherwise the spices can burn and become bitter. As the potatoes are cooked initially on a high heat and then again at the end on a high heat, we prefer not to add the spices to the oil at the very beginning as this method could burn the spices. Instead, the spices are added when the potatoes just start to soften. The spices will start to cook in the pan and then get a blast of high heat at the end, which should be enough to let them release their flavour.