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Dahi Ke aloo

The biggest challenge in cooking everyday at home is your Pati aka the BH. BECAUSE? For once in a while, when you are prompted to ask, “Dear what would you like to have for dinner?” and you end up getting the unthought response “Anything. I mean, whatever you please because you know better”. This may seem charming (in the beginning) but unfortunately neither anything is found at Safeway nor it can be dished out for dinner. And such an answer just doesn’t help you, especially after a whole day’s work, when you may want someone (him) to stand up and take responsibility for the night’s dinner menu atleast. Even though you do the cooking. This gets worse if it is a festival day and to top it, you are out of vegetables other than basics like potato and tomato. And at this hour of the day, you would prefer to spend precious time in cooking rather than grocery shopping. Unfortunately, men will be men..Sigh!

The occasion here is 15th August. India’s Independence day is nothing short of a festival day for me since childhood. {Flashback (in India): Everyone is at home on a National holiday such as Independence Day. After early morning school parade, there is no school or shops to tend to. So, we kids and papa are home, giving mummy a chance to cook a festive meal to be enjoyed with patriotic songs and series of movies; yes those were the days we loved growing up}. So, keeping alive the same tradition in my mini home in a different country, I was left with a very few vegetables to whoop up a meal. And at this time, came to my rescue the not so famous recipe – dahi ke aloo.

And since no festival is complete without puri, I made Dahi ke aloo to be served with Puris. The detailed post on how to prepare puri is to follow right after. Festival food is known as Pakka khaana; a concept prevalent in North. And a bit more details on this later.

Small baby potatoes


Fry baby potatoes on slow burner so as to turn golden


Simmer Dahi ke aloo in yogurt

  • Preparation Time: 5 min
  • Cooking Time: 15 – 25 min
  • Recipe Level:  Easy
  • Serves 4
  • Source: Mummy
  • Cuisine: North Indian
Ingredients:
  • 1 bag of baby potatoes~ 200 gms
  • 3 medium tomato
  • 2 cups of curd or plain yougurt
  • 1 medium onion (optional)
  • 2 – 3 green chillies
  • 1 tsp of cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp of haldi or turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp red chilly powder
  • 1 tbsp of amchur powder
  • 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
  • 2 tbsp Garam Masala or Pav Bhaji Masala
  • Salt to taste
Method:
  • Peel baby potatoes and remove the skin. Dry the potatoes using paper towel.
  • Heat a pan with oil on medium flame and fry potatoes for 5 min. 
  • After potatoes turn golden red, put the pan off the burner and allow them to cool.
  • In a separate pan or kadhai, add oil, followed by cumin seeds.
  • When cumin splutters, add green chillies, followed by sliced onion pieces.
  • Saute onion for 5 – 7 min until it turns translucent.
  • Now add chopped tomatoes, followed by haldi, amchur and red chillIy powder and kasuri methi and garam masala (or Pav Bhaji masala). Mix or stir well.
  • After water run out of tomato sides and tomato turns into a semi-paste, add potatoes, curd and 2  spoons of water.  Let the liquidish curd/yogurt soup boil enough for potatoes to soften and masalas to mix so as to form gravy.
  • Add salt to taste. And lid the kadhai and cook for another 10 min on medium flame. Ensure not to overburn the potatoes.
  • Sprinkle cilantro for garnishing (Optional).
  • Serve with any of the 3 Ps (Phulka, Paratha or Puri). Enjoy!

Dahi aloo gravy

Mad Notes:
  • If you prefer small chunks of potato, slice the baby potatoes in half.
  • Most of the ingredients in this recipe match that of aloo masala but the texture and dahi quantity differs these two recipes.
  • I tend to add Pav Bhaji masala instead of regular garam masala since I love bhaji powder aroma. This is optional. You may choose to add regular garam masala instead.
  • You may also add more cups of water to form a curry instead of gravy. I preferred gravy with puri combination.
  • For navratri or any other fast occasions, use the above recipe without onion, amchur and kasuri methi.