DOI ALU , SWEET AND SOUR ( potatoes in sweet and sour curd)

PREAMBLE 

(As usual, skip to recipe, below,  if the preamble is bit oppressing ( also as usual) 

This is a fast dish ready in 15 min, start to finish, and pure vegetarian

I am here after a long time and I know my blog is almost extinct thanks to FB . This is one recipe my Mom used to cook, I am trying to build up the recipe again before it is lost forever . Well I am almost there after cooking, because the taste reminded me of the child hood days.

It is purely a vege dish with no tempering,  and cooked  very fast. To remind all, a traditional Bong vege dish is always devoid of onion, garlic , Massur dal etc. 

I remember eating dosa and all southern delicacies at an Iyangar friend’s house but he always excused himself away whenever I invited him.  

Instead of feeling hurt I tried to discover the reason behind it, and realized the reason. 

Once I called him home on some pretext and told him “ Don’t give those lame excuses of not being able to come for dinner  at my place, a non vege place. I told him what vege food meant to me, it would be devoid of onion garlic. I showed him the separate sets of utensils exclusively used for cooking and eating vege dishes. I explained to him, how the burner is made sacred after cooking. I wish I had the wood fired chullahs exclusively meant for vege dishes, which we used to have in my childhood days.

 My friend started apologizing and I shut him up by saying “ I respect and will continue to do so, the beliefs of all my near and dear ones…not under compulsion , but with great  joy..”.

THE RECIPE.  It is a very down to earth fast cooking one , but having a good sweet and sour note and the fragrance of garam masala, and the amount of chili heat you want to add with dry or fresh green chili.

INGREDIENTS.

Potato 250 gms ( I used baby new potatoes)

Curd 250  gms diluted with water 100 ml and beaten black and blue. ( To give a bit thicker consistency over butter milk)

Cardamom 4 smashed

Clove 2 smashed

Cinamon ½ inch smashed

Turmeric ½ tsp

Red chili powder 1 tsp , more the merrier

Green chili 4

Rice flour 2 tsp or roasted Maida 2 tsp  (heaped) , ( corn flour and besan excused)

Mustard oil 4 tsp raw (you can use ghee if you don’t like mustard, oil extra virgin (EVM O like EVOO) ha  ha,  I mean raw, cold pressed oil)

Sugar 4 tsp heap (adjust the sugar to balance the sour curd and your taste). The dish will have a noticeable sweet note)

Green Chili 4

Salt to taste .

PROCESS:

Boil potato , cool and peel. If u r using big ones, cut them to 3/4^t inch ( 19 mm) size. Prick with a fork, sprinkle salt, mix and keep aside . (if you change your mind to make some other dish , with pricked , salted potato go ahead ).

In a big bowl, put everything specified above (except potato and oil) and whip to mix .

Take a Kadhai or deep pan , pour the mixture and slowly bring to boil with constant stirring .

(NOTE: curd will always coagulate on heating, but the presence of maida/rice flour and  stirring will stop lump formation and disperse evenly, like in Dahi kaDi) .

After 2 minutes of slow boiling , add the potatoes and mustard oil/ghee .

Keep on boiling for 3-5 min , so that the spices get into the oil system.

The consistency will be bit runny and good for Rice eating

OPTION FOR YOU …Try a thicker version, without diluting the curd with water, and let me know.

Happy eating  friends , you have supported my blog for last 4 yrs or more and don’t desert me ha  ha