Station wala Lehsunia Alu (Indian Railway special Garlic Potato Stir-fry)

Indian railways are always super crowded. It doesn't matter if you are catching a train at 6am, 6pm or even 3am, you will always find hundreds (if not thousands) of people who are already there. In case of inclement weather, the trains often run late. The biggest challenge at that time comes with food.

When I was living in Delhi, I always used to plan my visits to home (Prayagraj). By train it’s an overnight journey or roughly 9 hours. My favorite train was also named Prayagraj and it used to depart from the New Delhi railway station at 9:30 pm and reach my hometown Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) at 7 am. Traveling by this train was super convenient for me. I would get my dinner, some emergency food (chips, biscuits etc) and water, then take the metro to the railway station. 

Once the train would start, I would call my parents and friends and let them know that I am all settled in and then I would enjoy a late dinner. I think there is something peaceful about a moving train. There is nothing to do but sit back and relax. If the train is on time then all is well and good, if it isn't, well you are not the one driving, what can you do?

This particular train however had one shortcoming. Due to its perfect timing of departure and arrival, it had no dining car. This train was perfect for just one thing - have a good night’s sleep while swaying with the train’s gentle motion. This train and my planning always used to work, but then this happened.

Delhi always gets highly affected with the winter fog. The fog is so dense that there is almost no visibility. There are accidents, traffic jams on all the highways and often trains run late and flights get canceled. I always avoided traveling during the peak winter weeks but then I got some days off and I thought instead of staying in Delhi alone maybe I can go home. I got the tickets as well on my favorite train and I thought this is meant to be!

However, on the day of the journey everything started going wrong. There was a lot to do along with packing and cleaning. I was running around doing everything I could remember. All of a sudden my dad called me, “All the trains are running late, so yours will most probably be late too”. He suggested that I should in any case go to the station on time and wait there.

So, I took my dinner and went to the station. I waited for an hour, then two. Then I decided to have my dinner. Everyone was eating, plus the stress made me hungrier. 

Another hour passed, then another. Now everyone was tired. Children slept on their mom’s laps. Men paced, some read magazines, some started napping. Some people even left for home but I didn’t want to do that. Home for me meant Prayagraj, with my parents and sister and so I kept on waiting impatiently.

I started munching on the snacks I had with me but they just made me sad. I always used to share those snacks with my sister the next day after reaching home. Of course that always meant that the train was on time. 

The best part about traveling by train in India is Food. You will find food everywhere! Most of the trains have dining cars so you can get food from there. If the route is long, sometimes the train has designated stops at smaller stations. You can get local food at these small stations as well. Many people hesitate to consume the food being sold by the local vendors. It’s often considered to be of low quality and prepared with poor hygiene. However for many people it is what they could afford. Students especially will always choose to eat from a local vendor because they can get a good quantity for a cheaper price.

I always used to see these local vendors and think that one day I will try something from them. Their food always looks so delicious! And there is something unique about that aroma, it just makes you crave for that food even though you may not be hungry.

Now, my situation at this time was unprecedented. The train was still late and I had already eaten whatever food I had with me. At this time the train was over four hours late. I was tired, stressed and I knew the train won't have a dining car so getting any food onboard was out of the question. Considering the thick fog, even after boarding the train there was no way to know when it would finally arrive at its destination. Now if I had some food with me, none of this would matter.

A vendor came and opened his stall. It was around 2 am and I was surprised as to why he was opening his stall so late. But I came to know that several vendors had come back to the station after knowing that the trains were running late. They knew that this was a good time for some serious business. He placed a large wok on a big burner and a woman (who I think was his wife/ loyal business partner) started rolling small rounds of Puri (deep fried puffed bread). The air immediately filled with the delicious aroma of food. Even I got up and started looking around for someone to order the first plate.

And then someone did! You see, everyone was tired and hungry at this point. Beside the Puri vendor, a Chai vala (tea vendor) opened his Tea stall. All of a sudden everyone was happy. They had an option to enjoy some hot food with tea. Remember, it was a cold winter night and having hot food and tea was almost like winning a lottery. 

After some food and tea, everyone was cheerful. Some went to talk with the station master about any updates. I waited for some time for the crowd to thin out a bit. I noticed that they were enjoying the crispy Puris with some alu sabji. I took a step towards the vendor and the woman automatically handed me a plate. I paid her and thanked her graciously.

Suddenly we heard an announcement that the train would be entering the station in fifteen minutes. I thanked the lord and examined my food. The Puris were crispy and the potatoes were coated in spices. My mouth was watering as I took my first bite. I cannot tell you if it was hunger or if they were truly good cooks but that was one of the best railway foods I have ever had!

The train came, I sat and reached home (of course at lunch time instead of breakfast). Everyone gave me a big hug. My sister gave me some packets of munchies saying that she got those to continue the tradition. I had a great time there and once my vacation ended, I went back to Delhi. That whole incident, the waiting, the suffering and the delicious sabji became a thing of the past. Until….

A few days back I was reminiscing about this incident with my mom when she said, I didn't know you miss that sabji so much. Why don't you prepare it yourself? And then she gave me this recipe!

I must say, I was skeptical about the flavor but the very first bite fired up all the neurons in my head! And Debarshi confirmed, he said ‘Wow! This tastes exactly like the station wala sabji!’

You can make this sabji the traditional way, by deep frying the potatoes then cooking them in the spices and garlic. I air fried the potatoes which surprisingly brought the same crispy texture and without all that hard work. This sabji turned out so good that I immediately decided to add it on the blog.

Do you have any such memories? Please share them in the comments below. And if you too miss the railway station food, do try this sabji.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 2 big, russet, peeled, washed and cut into medium size cubes
• Mustard Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon 
• Asafoetida - ¼ teaspoon
• Cinnamon - 1 small stick
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Garlic - 3-4 cloves
• Turmeric Powder - ½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
• Salt - ½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Degi Mirch Powder - ½ teaspoon 
• Sabji Masala - 1 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - ½ teaspoon
• Cilantro – a handful, washed and chopped
• Canola Oil - to air fry (2 tablespoons) / deep fry the potatoes (1 cup)

Directions:

• Start by seasoning the Potatoes with Canola Oil (1-2 tablespoons), Salt and Turmeric (¼ teaspoon each). 

If deep frying, please refer to my articles:

• How to Deep-Fry food with Confidence
• How to check if the oil is hot enough to fry

• If air frying, pre-heat the air fryer to 400 F (or fries mode). This is also the easiest way to prepare this sabji. Air fry the potatoes for 15 minutes or till they turn reddish brown in color.

• Peel the garlic and cover them with a cling wrap. Bang the Garlic cloves with a kitchen mallet. 
• Take a medium bowl and add the Turmeric Powder, Salt, Coriander Powder, Degi Mirch Powder and Sabji Masala in it. Add 1 cup of water. Mix and keep this aside.
• Heat a pan or cast iron skillet on medium heat.
• Add the Mustard Oil in it. 
• When the oil begins to smoke, reduce the heat to medium low so that it cools off a bit. This is done to remove the pungent taste and smell of the Mustard Oil.
• Add the Asafoetida, Cumin Seeds, Bay Leaf and Cinnamon.
• When the Cumin seeds start sputtering, add the Garlic. Fry till it looks golden then add the water with the spices.
• Increase the heat to medium and cook it for about 10 minutes. 
• Add the Garam Masala and cook for another 5 minutes.
• By this time, the water should reduce to a thick gravy, add the Potatoes. Mix well and then cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Break a potato to check that it has been cooked through. If the potatoes need some more time but there is no more gravy, add about ½ cup of water and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
• The gravy should be just enough to cling to the potatoes.
• Garnish with the Cilantro and serve with hot Luchi, Puri, Plain Parathas or Methi Parathas.

Love potatoes? Try these dishes as well:

• Alur Dom (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with gravy)
• Alu Tamatar Sabji (Curried Potatoes with Tomatoes)
• Masala Alu (Stir fried Potatoes with Indian spices)
• Alu Chochori (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with Indian Spices)
• Niramish Alur Dom (Potato Gravy Without Onion and Garlic)
• Kalo Jeere diye Alur Torkari (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with Nigella Seeds)
• Allahabadi Chatpata Alu (Spicy Tangy Potato Gravy of my Hometown)
• Masala Alu (Spiced Potatoes)
• Biye Barir Alur Dom (Spiced Potato Gravy as served in Bengali Weddings)
• Alu Peyaj er Chochchori (Bengali recipe: Stir fried Potatoes with Onion)
• Kalo Jeere Ghee diye Alur Torkari (Potatoes with Nigella Seeds and Ghee)