Spicy Dahi Aloo

This dish is a combination of spicy and tangy flavours with a favorite, popular veggie - potatoes that get cooked delicately in this curry and absorb all the spices... This goes great with pulao, naan or rotis and is sure to tickle your tastebuds. This gravy would look pretty with little baby potatoes but since I didn't have them, I just used normal potatoes that had been cubed.


SPICY DAHI ALOO


Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 medium, cooked until firm but done & peeled
If using baby potatoes - use about 10 to 12
Onion - 1 small one or half of a medium one, chopped finely
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Yogurt - half cup, thick
Milk - quarter cup
Chilli powder - 1 to 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder or Curry powder - half tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - half tsp
Kasuri Methi - half tsp, crushed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cloves - 1
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Cardamom - 1 pod
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch

Method:
1) Microwave the potatoes with water to cover them for 6 minutes. They have to be cooked but firm, not mushy (so slightly underdone). Peel the potatoes. If using the big ones, like me, cut them into big chunks. Pierce the potatoes lightly.

2) In a wide non-stick pan, add about 2 tsp of oil and pan fry the potato chunks till browned - sprinkle a bit of salt on them while doing this.


3) In a kadai, add the remaining oil & season with clove, cardamom, cumin seeds & hing, then add the finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute this until the onions are slightly browned.

4) Now add the masala powders (coriander/curry, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala), stir for abt 30 seconds, ensuring they don't burn. Add half cup water to this mixture and allow to boil for about 3 to 4 minutes.

5) Whisk the yogurt and milk together. Reduce the flame of the kadai to a simmer and add the yogurt mixture to the curry. Add salt to taste and the potato chunks. Cover and allow to simmer for atleast 20 minutes - oil will float on top.


6) Finally add in the crushed kasuri methi. Serve with naan or chapathis.



I would like to send this yummy curry to Lisa's event 'A celebration of Indian Food'.