Potaoes in mustard gravy..............with a twist!

Actually the title in Hindi would have sounded better - rassedaar aloo - twist mar ke !

Mustard gravy was usually made as base curry for fish or okra in my younger days. And I feared making  any dish that called for mustard gravy. Why?.......because I hadn't made it enough times to be confident about it.  I had been in this deadlock for so many years !!! But now no more.  A couple of years ago, when my mom was visiting me I finally paid close ..........reeeeally close attention to the whole process.  The twist comes from my mommy dear - a wee bit of sambhar powder makes each and every flavor pop in this gravy. Really it does..! This curry is so versatile - you can make it with potatoes, fish, okra, eggplant, asparagus.......yes that too!! 

If you are not careful while sauteing, the curry masala can turn bitter. It important not to burn it and not to saute for very long. And adding cilantro at the end makes a whole world of difference.....but then I am very partial towards cilantro ..........and ginger ; -) I just simply love the flavor and aroma both impart to any dish.

Anyways I will not ramble anymore...god know why I start writing in the middle of night, when I am super sleepy! I should just get on with listing the ingredients and cooking process. Oh before that.I totally forgot to talk about the puris. This gravy goes well with puris, but if you are not in mood for fried stuff,  goes well with paratha and plain roti too. There.........now you also have perfect companion for your aaloo curry : -)

To make rassedar aloo:

Ingredients

2 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard paste mixed with 1 tbsp of garlic paste.
1 tsp kastoori methi
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp red chill powder
1/4 tsp sambhar powder
Aprox. 2 cups  boiled and chopped potatoes.
Oil

Get Cooking 

Shallow fry potatoes in tbsp of oil until its slightly brown. 

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan/kadai. Add kastoori methi and turmeric powder and fry for a couple of seconds. Immediately add yellow mustard paste. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add coriander powder and chilli powder. Continue frying until raw smell is gone. Add tomato and fry until fat separates. 

Add the potatoes and sambhar powder, saute for few more seconds. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 cup of warm water. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for sometime. 

The curry is really soupy so adjust water accordingly. Lghlty break a few potato pieces with back of spoon/ladle to thicken the gravy a little. Towards the end add chopped cilantro and mix. Its ready to serve. Puri  where are you?

To make puris:

Ingredients

1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp oil

Get Cooking 

Sift  maida, atta and salt together. Add oil and mix it thoroughly. Add water little by little and knead into a firm dough.... not hard. Make small balls... roll it out.

Heat sufficient oil. It has to be hot....not too hot. When its hot ..drop in a rolled out poori. Press it gently with spatula until it puffs up like a ball. Flip it to fry on the other side.

When it gets a redish golden tinge... take it out and put it on paper towel to drain excess oil.

Your curry is ready... your poori is ready... are you?

Sending rassedar aloo to Radhika's event at Tickling Palates  - Subzis for Rotis. Check it out there are sure to be exciting ideas there for your rotis.