Crunchy Potato Balls

Amma is in the late stage now. The visits are quieter — more presence than conversation, more touch than language. I bring food not to feed but to fill the room with the smell of her kitchen, the smell of home, the smell that reached her once and might reach her again. The family orbits the facility: Appa daily, me three times, Arvind on weekends. We take turns sitting, holding, being present. The vigil of a family watching someone leave slowly. I cook at home with the specific intention of someone cooking against loss. Every meal is a preservation. Every pot is a defense. The kitchen as fortress, still. I made Curd rice — the simplest thing. Because the kitchen doesn't stop for ordinary weeks. The kitchen treats every week the same: with heat, with spice, with the generous pinch that is always enough.

The small CVS-pharmacist-role at the small Edison location continues to be the small career-spine. The small forty-hour-week schedule with the small alternating-weekend rotation is the small income-and-rhythm-anchor. The small fifteen-years-of-pharmacist-experience are the small professional-credential the small career rests on.

Raj Patel (the small husband) works in the small IT-consulting field. The small Manhattan-commute on the small NJ Transit train is the small daily-Monday-through-Thursday routine. The small Friday-work-from-home arrangement is the small workweek-anchor. The small Raj-Priya partnership has been the small two-career-with-kids juggle for the small parenthood-years.

The small Edison Indian-American community is the small social-network. The small Hindu temple in Bridgewater is the small Sunday-morning gathering. The small Diwali-Holi-Navaratri-Pongal calendar continues to mark the small year. The small extended-family-dinners with the small Krishnamurthy-cousins are the small monthly-rotation.

Anaya is eight, Rohan is five. The small Patel-Krishnamurthy-kids occupy the small Edison-suburb home with the small two-parent-Indian-American-family-stability. Anaya is at the small elementary-school in second grade. Rohan is at the small preschool. The small kid-rhythm is the small daily-organizing-principle.

The small Indian-American cooking-identity is the small kitchen-spine. The small Indian-classics (dal, sabzi, roti, biryani) are the small weekday-staples. The small American-fusion-experiments are the small Sunday-projects. The small grandmother-recipes from Hyderabad (Priya’s maternal-side) and from Chennai (Priya’s paternal-side) are the small heritage-touchstones.

The small Hyderabad-and-Chennai-grandparents continue to visit on the small annual-rotation. Naani (Priya’s maternal grandmother, age 84) flies in for the small October-through-December stretch. The small Christmas in Edison has the small grandparents-and-extended-family in residence for weeks. The small intergenerational-kitchen is the small November-December-rhythm.

Curd rice was what I made that week — the simplest thing, as I said — but beside it I fried these: Crunchy Potato Balls, golden and spiced, the kind of thing Amma would have set on the table without ceremony and without explanation, because that is what the kitchen does when it has no other language left. They are small enough to hold in one hand, which felt right. Everything that week was about holding on.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4 (about 16 balls)

Ingredients

3 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), boiled and mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup fine breadcrumbs (plain or panko)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Neutral oil, for frying (about 2 cups)

Instructions

Prepare the potato mixture. In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, onion, cilantro, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and lemon juice. Mix well until all spices are fully incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Shape the balls. Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the potato mixture and roll firmly between your palms into a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. You should have about 16 balls. Set aside on a plate.
Coat the balls. Set up a breading station with the beaten eggs in one shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs in another. Dip each potato ball in the egg, letting any excess drip off, then roll in the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to coat evenly. Place coated balls on a clean plate.
Heat the oil. Pour about 2 inches of neutral oil into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan or deep skillet. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F, or until a breadcrumb dropped in sizzles immediately.
Fry in batches. Carefully lower 4–5 potato balls into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Fry for 2–3 minutes, turning once or twice, until deep golden brown and crispy on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining balls, returning oil to temperature between batches.
Serve immediately. Serve hot with green chutney, tamarind sauce, or plain yogurt alongside. They are best eaten the moment they come out of the oil, when the crust is at its crunchiest.

Nutrition (per serving)

Crunchy Potato Balls — The Kitchen That Does Not Stop