I first had a potato curry at my son’s home. He is a superb cook, and I have tried to capture the exotic flair of his dish with this Indian potato/pea curry, ‘aloo dum’.
Serves 4.
- 6 medium potatoes
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 1 star anise pod
- 2 bay leafs
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 green chile pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 c tomato sauce
- 1 c frozen peas
- 1 tsp turmeric
- dash asafoetida (optional)
- fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Place them in a pot and cover with salted water. Bring to boil on medium high. Boil about 7 minutes or until barely tender. Drain well, reserving cooking water, and set aside.
- Before proceeding with recipe, measure out and prepare all remaining ingredients.
- In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, black cardamom pods, star anise pod, bay leafs, garlic, and ginger; saute less than a minute, or until the seeds pop.
- Add onions, chile pepper and potatoes. Stir and cook about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, peas, one cup of the reserved cooking water, turmeric, and asafoetida. Bring to simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, or until peas are tender.
- Remove bay leafs, black cardamom pods, and star anise pod. Serve hot with a garnish of cilantro leaves.