Saturday, September 20, 2008

Saucy Potato Curry (Spicy Potato & Onion Stew)

Paji fondly recalls that his mother always made this curry every weekend. On Saturdays his father only had to work half days and returned home in time for lunch. His mother made this family favorite and fresh chapatis/rotis to celebrate. Homemade yogurt and some Indian pickles completed the simple but sumptuous meal.

This is a typical South Indian potato curry usually served with rotis, puris (fried bread) or dosa. It is amazing how a few spices transform the humble potato into this delicious dish!

Notes: Potatoes may be cooked whole in their jackets, peeled if desired and coarsely broken into chunks to stir into the sauteed onion mixture along with the besan slurry and proceed with the rest of the directions.

 Leave the ginger and green chilies in large chunks if you prefer a mild taste; this will allow you to easily fish them out before serving so someone does not bite into a big chunk of either one. I like to chop them very finely so that they just melt into the curry.

As a variation, I like to add other vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, green beans or eggplant with/without a tomato or two.

6 Servings

Ingredients:

4 medium Potatoes
1 medium Onion
3 or 4 thin slices Fresh Ginger
1 or 2 hot Green Chili
1/2 tsp Turmeric
4 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
1 Tsp Salt or to taste
2 Tbsp Besan (Chickpea/Gram Flour) + 3 Tbsp Water
Lime/Lemon Wedges to Serve (Optional)

Thalippu/Tadka:

2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds
1 Tbsp Chana Dal
1 Tbsp Urad Dal
1 pinch Asafoetida (Optional)
1 sprig Fresh Curry Leaves, finely sliced

Method:

Potatoes: Wash and scrub them well. Cut into bite sized chunks. 

Onions: Cut off ends, peel, and chop finely.

Chilies: Cut off stem, cut in half and remove seeds and membranes; leave in large chunks or chop fine.

Ginger: leave in large pieces or chop fine.

Besan Slurry: mix besan and water into a smooth thin slurry; add a little more water if needed.

Heat oil in a large pot and add the mustard seeds and the dals. When the mustard finishes popping and the dals turn pink, quickly add the rest of the thalippu materials along with the onions, green chili and ginger with a pinch of salt.

Cook stirring until the onions are translucent. Add turmeric, potatoes, the rest of the salt and 1 or 2 cups of boiling water depending on the amount of gravy you might like. More boiling water can be added later if you prefer a softer consistency.

Cover and simmer until potatoes are soft - about 20 minutes. Parts of the potato pieces should melt into the water to make a creamy gravy. 

Stir in the besan slurry and cook for 10 more minutes.

If the gravy is not creamy enough, mash a few pieces of the potatoes with the back of the spoon and cook for a few more minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in chopped cilantro, and set aside for 5 minutes.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with rice or roti with other accompaniments of your choice. It is scrumptious served over whole wheat or sourdough toast points. Serve with lime or lemon wedges to squeeze over the curry if desired. 

Enjoy!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very similar.

Anonymous said...

hi, new to the site, thanks.