I normally experiment on days when I have time to experiment. That way, in the remote chance of a failure (ahem, ahem), I have time to whip up something familiar and comforting and hearty.
I have also felt that wanting to experiment ONLY when I have time is not always a smart thing. It may be a handicap too. When you have too much time, you don’t do anything adventurous. So one fine morning, I had very limited time to cook up lunch when suddenly, an overwhelming sense of being bored of the familiar came over me and I dropped all known roads and marched forth into the unknown.
Now that I have gotten my dash of drama out of the way, I can tell you what an amazing recipe this turned out to be. This is also a Master Chef recipe. It is by Tarla Dalal but I made a few variations of my own to quicken the process.
PLEASE make it. I loved eating this most with parathas but feel free and eat it the way you want to.
Recipe: Goan Potatoes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes
Recipe Source:Tarla Dalal with my variations
Serves: 2
You need:
3 large potatoes, skinned and cubed
1 big tomato, blanched and deseeded, chopped
For the paste:
2 tsp poppy seed paste
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cloves
2 peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 big onion
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut or 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
5 cloves of garlic
Coriander leaves
Salt
Oil
For the paste:
– Heat some oil in a kadhai, add the poppy seeds, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, red chilli powder, coconut and fry. Keep aside.
– On a roaster, place the onion (after removing the papery skin) and turn on the heat. When the outer layer of skin has turned black, take it off. Let it cool for 2 minutes and then peel off this black layer. Chop into big pieces, keep aside.
– Now take the fried whole spices, the onion in a blender along with the garlic, a dash of water if you need it and then blend it all into a smooth paste.
For the Goan potatoes:
– Heat some oil in a kadhai,add the potatoes and fry about. Add a cup of water and some salt and let the potatoes boil until just done. By then, the water will have reduced to a bare minimum.
– Add the paste, mix well. Add tomatoes. Adjust salt. Add a dash of water if you need it but it can be skipped. Cover and let it cook for a few minutes.
– Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.