Potato Curry Recipe

This is a totally delicious dry potato curry recipe. The humble potato takes to curry surprisingly well, you would think it was a native of the sub-continent and not that it was introduced in the 17th century.  I was served in a vegetarian curry restaurant in Green Street, Forest Gate, several years back. It was totally delicious and stayed in the back of my mind for a while. A few weeks ago a Gujarati friend gave me a recipe for potato curry. I cooked it, tasted it and was instantly transported back to that meal in Green Street. Here it is for you…

Aloo Bhajee (Potato Curry)

450 grams (1lb) new potatoes (as small as you like) – or potatoes chopped into 1 inch chunks

½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
8-10 fresh curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
2.5 cm (1 inch) cube fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 fresh green chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground amchoor (or lemon juice)

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 large tomato, chopped

Boil potatoes and set to one side. Crush around a quarter of the potatoes, so you have a crumbly mess: leave the others whole.

Put some oil in a pan. Heat until almost smoking. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and immediately they start to pop and crackle take off the heat and add a pinch of asafoetida. Don't fret too much if you don't have any. Now put in the ginger and the green chillies. Stir until the ginger turns light brown around the edges. Then add rest of the spices but not the garam masala and amchoor/ lemon juice. Replace on the heat, and stir for a little while, making sure the spices get roasted. Then add the tomatoes and a little water. Cook until the tomato breaks up and the water has almost evaporated. Then put in the cooked potatoes, turn up the heat to high and stir well. If you break up more of the potatoes that's all well and good. Add 100 mls (3 fl oz) water, stir and cook for a little while, until it starts to look ready. Add the amchoor, salt and garam masala. Mix them in gently and cook for another minute.

Serve immediately with dal and puris – or whatever you fancy. This is a potato curry recipe to die for!