Potato Curry Version 1(bateta)
This is the perfect dish to take to a pot luck – it makes enough to fill a standard casserole dish, it’s a good side dish, and it hits the spot for vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike! It is one of the recipes people ask me for most often...maybe because it’s the one I usually bring!Note: items in brackets ( ) are optional. Sometimes I add them, and sometimes I don’t
Prepare your potatoes:
6-8 potatoes (or, 1 potato per person plus 3 “for the pot”, as my Mum-in-law would say)
Peel potatoes and cut into pieces. I take a normal-sized potato (typically Yukon gold, but the red ones are good also), and cut first in half lengthwise, then lengthwise again, then at the “equator", making 4 sections. If it’s a bigger potato, I make 6 sections.
The photos below (L-R) show how I chop my potatoes. First I make a lengthwise cut. Then, I place a flat section of one of the halves on the cutting board, and cut lengthwise again. Then I turn the potato around and cut through the “equator”. Finally, I take the uncut half and cut that half into four pieces as well. A small to normal-size potato gets cut into 8 pieces.
As you cut them, place them in a standard (4-L) saucepan of water. When they’re all peeled and cut, adjust the water level (potatoes should be all covered), and bring the water to the boil over med-high heat. When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the stove element. You’re not cooking the potatoes through, you’re just taking them part-way. If you cook them through, then by the time you’re finished with the dish, they will be total mush. If you leave them raw, then they’ll be “crunchy” at the end. Neither situation is ideal!
Make your masala:
Chop or blend in food processor
1 tomato.
Keep it ready. Heat a standard-size (4-L) saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.
Add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
When the oil is shimmering, add:
½ tsp black mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
A few curry leaves (limblo, we call them)...available at Indian groceries
¼ tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
The seeds will pop like popcorn (and, if the oil is too hot, they will spatter all over your kitchen...don’t say I didn’t warn you!) Now, without delay, add to the pan the tomato you chopped, plus:
1 heaping tsp. tomato paste
(1 tsp coriander powder)
(½ tsp cumin powder)
¼ tsp turmeric (or more...gives a good colour to the potatoes)
Chilli powder to taste (or fresh jalapeno pepper)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Fry, stirring regularly, for several minutes, until the oil starts oozing out. You may need to add a few sprinkles of water now and then to keep the mixture from sticking. Now, lift the potatoes out of their cooking water with a slotted spoon, and add them to the pan, stirring them gently into the masala. Now, fry the mixture until the potatoes reach their desired texture on medium heat. You will need to add water from time to time, as potatoes start to stick. Use the water from boiling the potatoes for that...it imparts a very nice texture.
When the potatoes are done to your satisfaction, stir in
(1 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves)