I grew up eating a lot of potatoes and that’s one of my best childhood memories. Given a chance I would survive on potatoes even now but adult life and all that, prevents it from happening. Anyway, one of the best ways to use potatoes is to make potato fry. Amma makes super crispy fry that is golden brown with right amount of spices. Almost every day we as kids would wait for her to bring the potato fry from the kitchen to dining area and gobble up a few pieces as it is. The best thing about this potato fry is, we never had nonstick pans – so it was made in a thick bottomed Hindalium fry pan and it does take a little more oil than is usually needed.
So having grown up eating the best potato fry, I tried replicating it once I had my own kitchen. Of course, I had to think about bettering my mom’s recipe and the only way I could improve it was to use less oil. That just meant, I had to use a non-stick pan. Many a times I have been asked on Instagram to share this recipe for making potato fry or as we call, bangaladumpa vepudu. And I kept telling people that there is no recipe as such and it is just frying the potatoes. But as I keep getting these requests often, thought of actually sharing everything I do to make the perfect fried potatoes on stove top. This is simpler compared to Roast Baby Potatoes.
Gifting myself a Lodge Pan has been one of the best things to happen in my recent US trip. I have dreamed about these pans for longer than I can remember and I couldn’t ask anyone else to carry it for me. So the first thing I decided on buying after my trip got finalized was this Lodge Skillet 😀 To sweeten the whole thing, I got a best deal and I grabbed it with both my hands (quite literally, for it is super heavy). Cast iron ware has been my recent obsession and buying it in India from local vendors, I had to season the pans myself but with Lodge, it comes pre-seasoned and it is as good as non-stick (and even better). Click on this image below to buy one for yourself.
I got rid of most non-stick in my kitchen and this is the last straw as Lodge cast iron works better than non-stick. All I had to do was wash it once with water, pat it dry and begin cooking. I would recommend making this potato fry in cast iron if that’s an option for you. If not, non-stick works too. If you don’t own branded cast iron, seasoning it at home is easy too. Here is how you can season your cast iron ware at home: Cook rice with lots of water and drain the rice, save the water. Soak your cast iron ware in this rice water for atleast 24hrs. Discard the colored water (mainly rust) and scrub the surface mildly with soap, pat it completely dry. Apply a thin coating of oil all over the cast iron ware. Place it upside down in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 1 hour or so. Let it cool down completely before taking it out. First, fry onions in little oil and discard them – this would take off any rusty smell. Wash with water, pat it dry and your cast iron cookware is ready to use. If you don’t have an oven, heat it on low flame on stove top although the oven method works best. You can see more instructions for seasoning and maintaining cast iron here.
How to make Potato Fry | Bangaladumpa Vepudu | Easy Skillet Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Potato Fry | Bangaladumpa Vepudu | Easy Skillet Potatoes
Heat oil in the cast iron skillet or nonstick pan. Let the oil heat up slowly on low flame.
Add diced potatoes into hot oil and stir fry them.
Make sure oil is coated well on all potato pieces.
Let them fry on low flame for 3-4 mins and then gently toss them over.
Again let them cook for 3-4 minutes and keep tossing them, letting them cook for equal intervals.
The key to getting crisp and golden potato fry is to cook them on an open pan on low flame for longer time.
As all sides turn crisp and golden, add salt and red chilli powder.
Mix it well and remove from heat.
Serve hot with rice and ghee. Best accompaniment with sambar or rasam or curd rice too!
Recipe Notes
It doesn’t take as long to make this potato fry on nonstick pan compared to a cast iron pan but the fry turns a lot crispy with a cast iron pan and stays crisp for longer time too. This fry is best served with rice and tastes great when served hot.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
