Chettinad Potato Kurma

Updated on April 16, 2012

First a good news to share with you all that my Spicy Mushroom Masala recipe got featured in Yummly. The Indian Food rocks and always will, at least for me. Hope you all had a great week end too. With the mercury level increasing day by day I honestly do not feel like standing in the kitchen next to a hot stove in the name of cooking. But still you do need food for sustenance. With this finger licking kurma I would once again like to profess my undying love for Chettinad cuisine.

Chettinad Potato Kurma

You’ll need:

• Potatoes, big – 4
• Onion, medium – 2
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Cloves – 2
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil / Ghee – 2 tbsp + 2 tsp

For the Spice Paste:

• Fresh grated coconut – 1/4 cup
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Garlic – 3 pods
• cashew nuts – 4
• Poppy seeds – 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds – 2 tsp
• Whole red chillies – 7-8
• Roasted Bengal Gram / Pottu kadalai – 1 tsp

Method:

Wash and pressure cook potatoes with the skin and cook for 2-3 whistles. Remove the skin and cube them. Keep aside. Soak the cashew nuts and poppy seeds in little warm water for 1/2 hour. Chop the onions finely.

Heat a pan with 2 tsp of oil and add coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and toss over medium flame will they are well roasted. In a mixie jar place these roasted spices, soaked cashew nuts, poppy seeds, roasted bengal gram / pottu kaldalai, gigner, garlic, grated coconut and grind to a fine paste using little water and keep aside.

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil / ghee. Season with bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaf and roast for a minute. Add onions and sauté till pink. Add the ground paste and cook over low heat while stirring continuously for 2-3 mins.

Add the cubed potatoes, turmeric powder, salt, enough water to the consistency you prefer (approx. 1-1 1/2 cups) and mix well. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5-7 mins over low flame. Give a mix once in the middle. Add a little more water if the kurma is very thick.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/chappathis or any pulao rice.

Notes:

• Adjust the whole red chillies as per your spice requirement.
• You can either cube the potatoes or crumble them and add to the kurma.
• Using ghee instead of oil will increase the flavor factor or use half the quantity of each.
• Soaking cashews and poppy seeds will ensure that they get ground finely.