©Ashy Macbean 2002.
Train potatoes
How's that for a name? I picked up this recipe when I was travelling across Kazakhstan by train, which is where the first part of the name comes from. Look at the second part and apply a bit of induction and you won't be surprised to find that the main ingredient in the recipe is potatoes. I went out onto the platform at Balkhash station in search of something to eat but it was mostly smoked fish that was on sale. I found a woman selling potatoes and when I asked her what kind of oil she used for cooking (butter, fat and oil are all covered by the same word in Russian) she surprised me by saying, 'Don't worry it's sunflower oil. You're vegetarian, aren't you?' It's more common in Central Asian countries to have to try to explain to people that simply picking out the visible pieces of meat from a dish is not really what you mean by 'vegetarian food'.
This is another delightfully simple yet tasty recipe. I'm giving the ingredients here as I saw them in Balkhash but you'll be able to think of numerous variations on the theme, just don't let it get too complicated or it won't be 'train potatoes'.
Ingredients
1 kg potatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
A few spring onions
A small bunch of dill
Salt
Sunflower oil
Peel and boil the potatoes with a little salt. While they're boiling, chop up the onion and fry it on a low to medium heat until it's well browned. While that's happening, grate the carrot and add it to the onions when they are ready. Fry for a few minutes more until the carrot is soft.
The potatoes should be ready by this time so drain them and add the oil with the onion and carrot. Chop up the herbs and add them then give everything a good stir but try not to break the potatoes. There you go - 'Train potatoes'.