Easy to Cook Middle Eastern Spicy Potato Stew
A One-Pot Wonder with Potato, Cilantro, Onion, Tomato and Spices
Sep 22, 2009
One pot wonders are a great choice for people who want to enjoy original, tasty meals but aren’t always able to commit to creating complicated and time consuming masterpieces in their kitchen. This Middle Eastern spicy potato stew is a classic example of what can be achieved with hardly any effort. It’s simply a case of throwing all the ingredients into one pot and leaving it until the flavours blend and the potatoes soften.
The key to a sensational stew involves the clever use of a mix of spices to create a dish which tastes as though it was created in the shade of a Bedouin tent under a hot North African sun using a secret combination of ingredients handed down through generations. In reality, this mouth-watering and appealing looking rich, spicily red Middle Eastern stew can be thrown together by anyone with even the most rudimentary grasp of cooking.
It’s a perfect midweek choice for anyone who has the inclination for a hearty, spicy meal with a difference but also, after a hard day, is looking for a recipe which won’t take forever to prepare.
Middle Eastern spicy potato stew is also the perfect camping recipe when facilities are limited to a couple of rings on a camp stove. It’s especially delicious and warming for nights under canvas when there happens to be a bit of chill in the air.
Ingredients for Middle Eastern Spicy Potato Stew
- 700g potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch sized chunks
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 hot red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp of Ras el hanout (use turmeric if Ras el hanout is difficult to get hold of)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- 500 ml water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
For two people
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Preparation of Middle Eastern Spicy Potato Stew
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat, add the onions and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, chilli, salt and all the spices and mix in thoroughly until the potatoes are coated with a lovely sunset red coating of spices.
- Add the chopped cilantro and stir in, then add the water until it barely covers the potatoes.
- Turn the heat to high and bring to the boil.
- When the stew comes to the boil, partly cover the pan, turn the heat to low for 25 minutes and go and shower, check the internet, or simply relax whilst the stew's heady aromas get the juices flowing in anticipation.
- After 25 minutes remove the lid and, if the stew is still a bit watery, break down a couple of the potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon until the sauce reaches a thick, but not runny, consistency.
Dish into bowls and garnish with a couple of cilantro leaves. Serve Middle Eastern Spicy Potato Stew with some crusty bread or flat breads which are even better for dipping into the stew.
Don’t dive into this stew without letting it cool slightly. The potatoes really retain the heat and will scald the mouth of any over enthusiastic diner who doesn’t hold off for a few moments.
Cook’s Tip: Middle Eastern Spicy Potato Stew can take a lot of salt. However, if anything it’s better to under salt when cooking and make personal adjustments when eating the dish.
Cook’ Tips: Ras el hanout is a wonderful ingredient to have on the ‘herbs and spices’ shelves. It’s a Middle Eastern blend of spices which changes depending on where it’s bought, and which works wonders when added to spicy dishes. Turmeric is an okay substitute, but it just doesn’t have that same exotic flavour.
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