Thursday, October 22, 2026

In the Kitchen with Shereen Vedam - Masala Potatoes Recipe #MasalaPotatoes #Recipe #InTheKitchen


Masala Potatoes

This one is great to eat with any flatbread.

I usually eat it with my favorite breakfast dish, Indian dosas.

This is a recipe I learnt from a YouTube video by VaChef. If you want to watch how it’s made, check out his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZOXchhDdM

I’d say it takes about 30 minutes to make–but be warned, it’s a long list of ingredients. So, I’d suggest you prep first, and get all the ingredients on the counter in the right proportions (and chopped) before you start to cook.

My tips on how to purchase/use/substitute for ingredients are in brackets:

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

Par-boil until cooked in a pot, drain and keep for later use:

·        4 potatoes (cubed, I love Yukon Gold)

·        Water

Start with this using a skillet:

·        2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil)

·        1 pinch black mustard seeds

Add these once the mustard seeds start to pop–this adds the best flavors:

·        1 teaspoon of channa dal (these are the same as yellow split peas)

·        1 tsp urad dal (these are small white and almost impossible to find in small towns, also known as Black lentil/gram, even though they’re white. Check out this site to learn more about this item: https://www.readersdigest.in/better-living/story-what-makes-urad-the-ultimate-indian-dal-126431 )

·        2 chopped green chillies (I use serrano peppers. I take out the seeds and chop a lot of these and add melted ghee into very small (mine are cute and tiny bear shapes) ice cube/silicon tray, and then freeze them as cubes in a container for use whenever I want them. They’re popular in many Sri Lankan dishes. I would use 1 cube unless you want it to be really hot.)

·        1 sprig of curry leaves (these are hard to find. I usually get them where there are fresh herbs at specialty markets. Since they’re so hard to find, I also grow my own curry tree in a pot under a grow light (I live in the Northern Hemisphere, so not much sunlight for long periods. This tree needs at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight to do well. I use these curry leaves in practically all my curry dishes.)

·        1 slice of chopped ginger (I use pre-chopped ginger from a jar)

·        2 tablespoons of roasted (unsalted) cashews, broken

·        2 red chillies, whole (I used dried chilli flakes and put them in sparingly, as it’ll make the dish hot. I prefer flavor to heat.)

 

Next, add this in:

·        3 small onions (chopped)

·        1 pinch of cumin powder

·        1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped (also known as cilantro)

·        1 tablespoon lime juice

·        1 teaspoon salt to taste

·        1 pinch of turmeric (excellent if you have inflammation)

 

Finally, add in:

·        potatoes (pre-cooked; remember boiling these at the start?), smash them in the skillet with a fork, leaving a few small pieces

·        salt

·        lime juice

·        coriander leaves

·        some water if needed                                                                                

Once the potatoes dry and start to brown, you’re done. It’s a dry, mushy curry.

Enjoy with your favorite flatbread or dosa (which you can get in a package; just add water and fry up).


When the Magic Comes
A Grimm Medieval Mystery
Book One
Shereen Vedam

Genre: Cozy Epic Fantasy Mystery
Publisher: Shereen Vedam
Date of Publication: October 13, 2026
ISBN: eBook 9781989036464
ISBN: Paperback 9781989036471
ISBN: Audiobook  9781989036488
ASIN: B0FVYCWP33
Number of pages: 240
Word Count: 62,000
Cover Artist: Suzie O’Connell from Sunset Rose Books

Tagline: Magic. Prophecy. Murder.

Book Description:

It’s been said that Kennard of Grimm is destined to be the first in a long line of warriors who battle evil with magic.

Just one problem: he teaches magic at a prestigious university, but he has no magical abilities.

What he has is a dangerous curiosity, piercing instincts, and a responsibility for a baby dragon named Tala. Normal chaos rules Kennard’s life until a student is murdered, and another is blamed. Convinced the accused is innocent, he sets out to find the real killer.

To further complicate Kennard’s life, his mother and sister visit him, sparking Tala’s protective instincts. Then things turn more dangerous when a second body shows up.

The killer’s audacity is mounting.

Kennard must stop the murderer and soothe his indignant dragonet or risk death and destruction on a much larger scale.

If you enjoy your mystery with a hint of fairy tale, you’ll love meeting Kennard of Grimm and his dragonet, and sharing in their epic adventure as amateur detectives in a magical medieval fantasy world.


Excerpt

This is who I am. I’m the widow of a knight. My father was the Baron of Grimm. I’m the eldest of four. And my brother is the first Grimm to insist he can see magical creatures. My name is Violet.

On this November day, in the year of our Lord 1312, an unusual crime was committed at Edensa University, where my brother lives. There had been no warning that this event would be life-changing for both him and me.

As Master of Magical Theory and History, he soon became entangled in the event, for it had magical undertones. I intended to keep him out of harm’s way. But then I became worried, as I wondered if his convictions were not just the result of an overactive imagination.

What if there really are invisible monsters?

* * *

“Surely magical creatures are naught but myths, sir?” Gazi spoke from a bench two rows back. “They don’t exist.”

This late-night class, the first Kennard had held this autumn, would hopefully be the last. It had made for a long day.

The lit torches shadowed Gazi’s strong features, giving him a devilish cast. He suspected the clever lad of being deliberately provocative. At fourteen, he was only seven years Kennard’s junior, yet Gazi might as well have been a mischievous child of eight, the way he sometimes acted.

Kennard addressed his students. “What do you think of Gazi’s question? Is it worthy of our consideration?”

“No!” Fanil lounged on a bench to Kennard’s left and flashed Gazi, his arch-nemesis, an over-the-shoulder smirk. “But such creatures are present in Bernada,” he added, snapping on the bait despite his avowal to the contrary.

Two vociferous rivals for the class fool.

“As if you would know.” Gazi chuckled. “You’ve never been to the sorcerers’ kingdom. No mortal has.”

“Our queen has,” Elspera countered, one of only three lasses registered for his class, and the only one of them present tonight. She sat directly across from Kennard, her favorite spot.

Her maid sat by the door, head tilted, eyes closed, and mouth half open, while releasing soft snores.

Elspera pointed at a portrait of our fair monarch on the wall. Her long sleeve slid down as she raised her arm, revealing a pale hand and wrist covered in intricately painted, darkly dotted patterns.

Gazi straightened on his bench, running a hand through his hair. “I grant, unlike us, God bestowed Queen Amity with exceptional powers. Yet, even she’s never spoken of magical creatures, not in our lands or even in Bernada.” His tone grew soft as his gaze rested on the fair maiden. “Also, this topic is about magical creatures, like ogres, griffins, and water spirits. Not sorceresses.”

“As a sorceress,” Elspera argued, “the queen could be considered a magical creature. If you seek further evidence, what about religious texts, which mention behemoths, demons, and even dragons? They do not lie.”

“My pa says it is blasphemous to discuss witchery,” a lad said from the last row. “The church forbids it.”

Though Gregory had addressed his comments to the class, his gaze lingered by the doorway. Was he hoping he could be anywhere but here? Possibly. Kennard glanced toward the doorway, where Elspera’s maid, having awoken, sat straight and blinked tired eyes. It had been a long day.

His attention returned to Gregory, who hailed from a small village in Greece. Normally, a quiet lad. Why a religious boy wished to attend sacrilegious lessons had once troubled him when the lad’s family applied to enroll him in this class.

Had the Church sent this “little bird” to Edensa to report on Kennard’s teachings, so they could smear his father’s name? For the Baron of Grimm had spoken out against the Pope a time or two.

Kennard’s fist had clenched at the possibility of his behavior being used to attack his father. In the end, he met Gregory, and his instincts insisted the lad had good in him. So, deciding an enemy close at hand was worth three in the bush, he’d admitted him. Time would prove if he’d been wise or not.

 


About the Author:

Once upon a time, USA Today bestselling author Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure.

Shereen's a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.











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