Aloo Dum - Spicy potato curry

Aloo Dum with Loochi (Poori) is a favorite breakfast in bengal. This was especially popular for Sunday breakfast in the days when people did not worry about cholesterol and carbs, or heartburn. The hot weather and the daily walking kept you good shape. Don't deprive yourself of this delicacy, have in moderation. The loochi can be substituted by hinger kochuri or dalpuri, korai shutir kochuri (peas puri).

Ingredients:

- Small round potatoes (1 inch in diameter)  - 20 pieces

- 1 large onion, finely chopped

- Garlic - 10 cloves

- Ginger - 1/2 inch

- Green chilli - 4 thai chillies

- 2 large tomatoes 

- Coriander leaves

- Haldi - 1 teaspoon

- Dhania powder - 1 teaspoon

- Jeera powder - 1 teaspoon

- Red Chili powder - 1 teaspoon

- Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil and skin the potatoes, cut into halves. Add a little salt.

2. Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, chilli and tomato.

3. In a skillet, heat two tablespoons of oil, shallow fry the potatoes and keep aside.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet and fry the onions until translucent.

5. Add the paste and the dry masala and fry until the oil separates

6. Add the potatoes and coat with the masala. Add salt to taste

7. Add two cups of water and bring it to boil. Let it the gravy thicken.

8. Turn the heat off and add the coriander/dhania on top. Some people add one teaspoon of ghee on top.

9. Serve fresh if possible with hot poori/kachodi/kachuri

Posted by: Chitra

Aloo bodir jhol (potato & lentil dumplings curry)

Posted by: Mala D

It's one of my comfort foods from early childhood. Bengali curries make a lot of use of dried lentil balls (dal vadis) but they are not often available to people residing out of kolkata/India. I was thus forced to improvise it with freshly made lentil balls. The result was just as good if not better:-))


Ingredients:
Potatoes: 2 big-sized one,abt 400 gms
Fresh lentil balls: 12-15
Tomatoes: 2 medium
Ginger: 3 inches(or as per choice)
Oil: 3tbsp
Red chilly powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: 1tsp
Cumin powder: 2tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1tsp
Bay leaves: 2 nos
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Corriander leaves:  handful for garnish

Method:
For making lentil balls: wash & soak 200 gms split black gram in water overnite. Next day grind with 2-3 green chilles & 1 inch ginger, adding little water (1-2 tbsp) to make a soft  batter. Now take it out in a steel vessel & add 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Mix well & keep aside for few hours. Add salt to taste (1tsp), whip it well & fry cherry-sized balls in batches. Dry on paper towels. Leftover batter from vadas/dahi vadas can be easily used to make these. Can be kept for about a week in air tight container in the fridge.

Curry:
Peel potatoes & cut into 3 inch pieces. Wash & drain the water. Remove the seeds from tomatoes & puree them along with peeled & chopped ginger. Heat oil & temper with cumin seeds & bay leaves. Add potatoes & fry them well. Now add the tomato puree & fry till oil floats to the top. Now add all the spices,salt & sugar. Mix well. Add 1/2 litre of water. Cover & cook till potatoes are half-done. Now add the vadis & bring the gravy to boil. As the balls tend to soak up the gravy & puff up, ensure that the consistency of the gravy is thin by adding hot water from time to time. Put the flame at simmer point. The balls should be soft but not squishy. Don't overcook. Keep the lid on & the potatoes will turn soft in the heat. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Aloo Methir torkari - potato & fenugreek leaves dry curry

Posted by: Mala D


This is a popular subji in most Bengali households of course every family having their on take on it. My mom uses green peas in it & my mum-in-law uses brinjals: as a nod to these two special ladies, I have included both in my recipe!

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 2 nos.approximately 400 gms
Methi saag: 500gms
Brinjal(egg plant): 1 medium size abt 150gms
Green peas: a handful
Green chillies: 2-4 sliced
Mustard oil: 3 tablespoon or more (don't scrimp on oil as brinjal tend to absorb it,also mustard oil is good for health)
Turmeric powder:1 tsp
Salt:to taste
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: (sabut jeera) 1/2 tsp
Hing: (asafoetida powder) 1/4 tsp


Method:
Pick methi leaves & wash them repeatedly till water looks completely clear, now chop them finely.
Peel the potatoes & cut them into small size pieces. Chop brinjal into 3 inch sized pieces. Wash them well & drain them of water. Wash the green peas & keep seperately.

In a large-sized pan, heat oil till smoking point. Lower the flame & temper with hing & jeera seeds. Add potato pieces & sliced green chillies & toss for a while. Now add brinjal & mix them properly. Fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the turmeric powder & toss. Add chopped methi leaves & green peas & mix well. Add the salt & sugar. Cover with a tight-fitting lid & cook on low flame. If the curry gets dried, keep sprinkling little water from time to time. Should take about 8-10 minutes to cook. Close flame when the potatoes are done. Serve with yellow dal & rice. Also goes well with parathas.
Note-- children usually avoid having methi for it's slightly pungent taste. In such a scenario, add a handful of washed & chopped Dil leaves(soya/sua leaves), they balance out the pungency with their mellow taste. In fact in North India, sua-methi are always sold together!