How to Cook Indian Potato Masala

Potato masala is a spicy vegetarian dish from the south of India. It is quick and easy to prepare and makes a tasty side dish to accompany a curry or perhaps some Tandoori chicken. It can even be used as a filling for samosas or dosas.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 2 small green chiles
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. dessicated coconut
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 tsps. garam masala
• 2 tbsps. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds (not prepared mustard)
• 6 curry leaves (buy these from an Indian grocery)
• Leaves from 1 sprig of fresh cilantro

1. Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1-inch cubes. Chop the onion and chiles finely.
2. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan along with 3/4 of the chopped onion, the chiles, the salt and the turmeric. Add just enough water to cover, then bring it to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer, and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Puree the coconut, ginger and garam masala in a blender. Add this mixture to the potatoes and cook for another 8 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the mustard seeds to the pan and cook for a few seconds until each one has "popped," then stir the remaining onion into the pan and cook until golden.
5. Stir the onion and mustard seed mixture into the potatoes. Season with additional salt if desired, and serve sprinkled with curry and cilantro leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do overcook the potatoes and find them too mushy for your taste, don't worry--the texture of this dish doesn't matter as much when it is used as a filling.
• If you want to stretch this dish in a yummy way, you can throw in a can of chick peas a few minutes before you finish cooking this.