Recipe: Sangita's Aloo Tamatar Ki Sabzi

The best recipes are the simple ones that come together with not much effort and taste divine.

Sangita Agrawal's Aloo Tamatar Ki Sabzi is one such delightful potato recipe.

It's made without onions and garlic and if you have some left, have it the next day for breakfast with pooris, parathas or kachoris.

Sangita, who paints and loves gardening, started cooking at age 14 and is self taught.

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Aloo Tamatar Ki Sabzi

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 250 gm potatoes, boiled, peeled, diced
• 150 gm tomatoes, chopped fine or pureed
• 1 tbsp chopped green dhania or coriander or cilantro
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 green chilly, slit
• 2 tsp oil
• ½ tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chilly
• 1/3 tsp sugar, optional
• ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• 1 tsp dhania or coriander powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder
• 1 tej patta or bay leaf
• Pinch hing or asafoetida
• Hot water
• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed kadhai or saucepan.
  Add the jeera seeds.
  When the jeera has sauteed for a minute or 2, add the asafoetida, bay leaf, dry red chilly, green chilly.
  Add the ginger, tomatoes, sugar.
  Saute till the tomatoes are mushy and the oil starts to separate.
• Add all the dry masalas and saute for 2 minutes more.
  Add the potatoes and saute till well coated with the masala.
  Stir in about 1 cup hot water, just enough to cover the potatoes.
  Add salt and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
  Check the consistency.
  If required add some more water as the gravy should not be too thick.
  Boil for 2 minutes more if more water was added.
  Take off heat.
• Add half of the chopped coriander and stir.
  Serve garnished with rest of the chopped coriander.

Editor's Note: A teaspoon of ghee would liven this curry up even further. And maybe 1 tsp of kallonji or onion seeds or a pinch of sonf or fennels seeds in the tadka or tempering.

Those on a diabetic diet or for a Jain version, may substitute the alu with 250 gm cubed, lightly-boiled green banana.

Pair this alu sabzi with warm chapattis or steamed rice.

Meat eaters might enjoy a little kheema on the side. Try Chef Abinas Nayak's recipe for Mutton Kheema with Brinjal and Walnuts.

Or some prawn pickle -- have a go at making Rajlaxmi Navalkar's Prawn Pickle.

Sangita Agrawal lives in Mumbai and publishes the food blog Bliss of Cooking.

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