Potato Masala | Side dish for rotis or pilafs

Anyone who is not game for potatoes??? Then do skip the next few lines cos am gonna rave about how I love this tuber. Potatoes in any form can please me. A simple potato roast with curd rice is my comfort meal. I can live on that for days together. To me, anything with potato can never go wrong.
The very first dish that I tried in the kitchen was a simple potato roast and its been loved by everyone in the family till date. I have even got requests from relatives to make the dish when they are home visiting us and its been one of appa's favorite among the many dishes that I make.

Remember the okra in coconut gravy that I made some time back. My aunt makes a similar dish with potato which I die for. I love it so much that whenever she comes home, I ask her to make it in a large batch and I have it with bread for breakfast, rice for lunch and chapathis for dinner. The recipe will be up soon cos they have scheduled a visit next month and am waiting for the day so that she can make it, I can click it and you can savor it. Nothing can beat the comfort of a food blogger getting a recipe with no effort put in to cook and thats one of the reasons why the 'Amma cooks' series is close to my heart. No cooking, only clicking and editing.

Coming back to the recipe, I made this dish for the Kashmiri pulao because all I wanted was a mildly spicy side and this sounded the right choice. Its simple, tangy and less spicy which makes it a great accompaniment for pulaos/pilafs. Goes well with chapathis and dosas too. The gravy is very versatile and you could replace the potato with paneer or tofu or you could use a mix of veggies of choice.

~*What U Need*~ Potato - 2, medium Onions - 2, medium Tomatoes - 1/2, medium Ginger - 1/4 inch piece Garlic - 2 cloves Cinnamon - 1" inch Cloves - 2 Cardamom pods - 2 Bay leaf - 1/2 Coriander powder - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp Water - 1/2 cup Yogurt - 1/4 cup Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Salt, Oil

How I made it:
Boil the potatoes till done, remove the skin and cut into cubes. Heat oil in a non stick kadai, add 1 tsp oil and fry the potatoes till golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil. To the same pan, add the garlic, ginger and chopped onions and saute till soft.

Add the tomatoes and cook till soft and done. Cool and blend well in a mixie.

Add 1 tsp oil to a non-stick pan and when hot, add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods. Add the pureed masala and fry till oil separates. Add the spice powders and salt and fry till raw smell goes off.

Once done, add the fried potatoes and mix carefully not to break the potatoes. Add water and bring it to a boil to get desired consistency. Whisk the yogurt to remove any lumps. Add the yogurt, mix well, add the chopped coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with pilafs/rotis/naans.

** My Notes:
** The yogurt gives an additional tanginess and so I used only 1/2 of a big tomato
** You can also add one green chilli when saute-ing the onions and blend together to get a spicier version
** Use paneer or mushrooms or tofu for variations.
** If you are using paneer or tofu then immerse in hot water to retain softness
** You can also replace the yogurt with cream or half milk half cream or half-and-half for a richer version

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!