Semolina Potatoes: A Versatile Veggie Dish

Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings (intermediate milling stage) of durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, pasta, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse middlings from other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Semolina is a high-gluten flour made from hard durum wheat. It has a rather coarse texture, and yellow colour, and is high in gluten protein. The high gluten content means the flour is especially well suited for making pasta, but this flour is also a common ingredient in bread and baked goods as well as couscous.

Potato is a starchy tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. The English word potato comes from Spanish patata (the name used in Spain). The name originally referred to the sweet potato although the two plants are not closely related. When it comes to starch, each potato has its own sugary profile, which makes them not only have contrasting tastes but cook differently too.

Cooking time: 20- 25 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 500 gms baby potatoes
• 3 tbsp fine semolina
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• ½ tsp paprika powder (or red chilli powder added to taste)
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 1 tsp salt

Method: 

Preparing potatoes:

1. Add water to a pot and bring it to a boil
2. Once boiling, add salt
3. Let the salt dissolve then add the potatoes 
4. Once potatoes are fork tender (can be pierced by a fork without breaking), take off the heat
5. Allow them to cool
6. Once cool, peel the skin

Preparing Semolina:

1. In a pan or skillet add the semolina
2. Fry it on low flame till it turns golden brown (this will take 4-5 mins)
3. Once done, take off the heat and set aside

Frying the Potatoes:

1. In a frying pan or skillet heat olive oil and butter on medium flame
2. Add in paprika flakes
3. Add coriander leaves
4. Stir well
5. Add cooked and peeled potatoes for 4-5 minutes 
6. Let the potatoes turn golden brown, keep stirring
7. Once potatoes turn golden brown, slowly sprinkle semolina onto the potatoes 
8. Add salt
9. Mix well
10. Let this mixture cook for 2 minutes 
11. Take off heat once semolina has formed a crust on the potatoes

Semolina made from softer common wheat is beige in colour; it contains more gluten and is less sandy in its texture than durum semolina. In the United States, it is called farina (not to be confused with Italian farina, which is common-wheat flour); it is used more often for desserts than for salty foods. In the Indian continent, common-wheat semolina may be milled either coarse or fine, and both are used in a wide variety of sweet and savoury dishes.