Bengali Potatoes & Black Pepper

This is a simple dish with the spiciness of the pepper. It is from Bengal, a region which lies in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Bengal region is both in India and Bangladesh. Dhaka is the largest city of the region, and it is also the capital of Bangladesh. The second largest regional city is Kolkata, still known to many by its English rendering, "Calcutta," a city which lies in India. While I put in my own ingredient amounts, this recipe is from "Indian Cooking," by Madhur Jaffrey, North American edition, 2003, Barron's, NY.

4 or 5 medium white potatoes boiled in their skins, then chilled, then peeled and cut into small chunks
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and fry therm for a minute or two. Add the salt and stir to mix. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the potatoes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pepper and stir to mix. Cook for another 2 minutes uncovered, then add the cilantro, stirring once more.

WORD HISTORY:
Cot -This word for a "small, light weight, easily transportable bed," and, "a hammock-style bed, originally used on ships in officer's quarters," "seems" to have a non Indo European origin, possibly from a Dravidian source in southern India, such as "katil/kattil," with the meaning, "small bed." This gave Hindi the transliterated form, "khat," with the same general meaning. Hindi is an Indo European language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European. English borrowed the word in the first half of the 1600s, as a result of the growing involvement of England in India.