Baby potatoes with seasoned tomato Sauce
If you have a garden and can pull up really small marble-sized waxy-red potatoes, you have the perfect choice for this dish –the delicate skins almost float off during Scrubbing. If you use larger new potatoes, red or white, cook them whole and slip off the skins when cool.
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
• Waxy new Potatoes, no more than 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter – 1 ½ pounds (685 g)
• Whole cloves – 3-4
• Whole black peppercorns – 6-8
• Coriander seeds – 2 teaspoons (10 ml)
• Cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon (5 ml)
• Fennel seeds- ½ teaspoon (2 ml)
• Fresh ginger root – 1-inch (2.5 cm) piece
• Peeled and coarsely chopped – 2-3 hot green chilies (or as desired) 3
• Coarsely chopped – 3 table spoons (45 ml)
• Fresh coriander leaves or parsley
• Water – 2-3 table spoons (30-60 ml)
• Ghee – 4 table spoons (60 ml)
• Vegetable oil and melted unsalted butter – 2 table spoons (30 ml) each
• Black mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
• Curry leaves, preferably fresh – 6-8
• Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (about ¾ pound/340 g) – 1 cup (240 ml)
• Scant turmeric – ½ teaspoon (2 ml)
• Garam masala – 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
• Chat masala – ½ teaspoon (2 ml)
• Salt – ½ table spoon (7 ml)
• Waxy new Potatoes, no more than 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter – 1 ½ pounds (685 g)
• Whole cloves – 3-4
• Whole black peppercorns – 6-8
• Coriander seeds – 2 teaspoons (10 ml)
• Cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon (5 ml)
• Fennel seeds- ½ teaspoon (2 ml)
• Fresh ginger root – 1-inch (2.5 cm) piece
• Peeled and coarsely chopped – 2-3 hot green chilies (or as desired) 3
• Coarsely chopped – 3 table spoons (45 ml)
• Fresh coriander leaves or parsley
• Water – 2-3 table spoons (30-60 ml)
• Ghee – 4 table spoons (60 ml)
• Vegetable oil and melted unsalted butter – 2 table spoons (30 ml) each
• Black mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
• Curry leaves, preferably fresh – 6-8
• Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (about ¾ pound/340 g) – 1 cup (240 ml)
• Scant turmeric – ½ teaspoon (2 ml)
• Garam masala – 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
• Chat masala – ½ teaspoon (2 ml)
• Salt – ½ table spoon (7 ml)
Preparation
1. Boil the potatoes in their skins just until fork tender. Cool and peel if necessary and cut into ½ inch (1.5 cm) pieces.
2. Place the cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds in a mortar or spice mill and grind to a powder. Transfer to a blender, add the chinger, chilies, 1 table spoon (15 ml) of the fresh herb and the water, and blend until smooth.
3. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick frying pan over moderately high heat. When it is hot but not smoking, add the black mustard seeds and fry until they pop and turn gray. (If you are using oil, add the butter now.) Drop in the curry leaves and in seconds follow with the tomatoes and turmeric. Reduce the heat and, stirring now and then, cook until the juices cook off and the ghee separates from the tomatoes. Add the potatoes, garam masala, chat masala and salt, gently stir, and cook, covered, until the potatoes are hot. (You may need to add sprinkles of water if you do not use a nonstick pan) Sprinkle with the remaining fresh herb before serve.
By Yamuna Davi Dasi
