7. Potato Battata Aloo

<p>A quick history of how the humble potato made its entry into the East, followed by our favourite regional potato recipes with Farida Ahmed and Stephanie Mahmoud from Frying Pan Adventures. </p> <p>Quick note on potato tahdig: As promised on the episode, we're sharing an update on this delicious Persian rice recipe here. As Stephanie correctly mentioned, you don't need to preboil the potatoes for a potato tahdig. Najmieh Batmanglij, in her book <em>Food of Life</em>, shares a recipe which involves slicing Russet potatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds and placing them on the bottom of a pot  that has been greased with water, oil and a few drops of saffron water. Interestingly, she recommends not washing the potatoes to retain the potato starch needed to bind the crust together.  </p> <p>Instagram handles: Frying Pan Adventures (<a href= "https://instagram.com/fryingpanadventures" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">@fryingpanadventures</a>), Farida (<a href= "https://www.instagram.com/faridaa/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">@faridaa</a>), Stephanie (<a href= "http://instagram.com/everydayfeasts" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">@everydayfeasts</a>).</p>