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You Need:

[For 3-4 servings]

• Potatoes – 300 grams
• Green chili – 2 (adjust to taste)
• Garlic – 4 cloves (~1 teaspoon when chopped)
• Onion – 1 medium
• Tomatoes – 1 medium
• Dry red chili (Kashmiri or Byadagi) – 1 large [buy here]
• Salt – to taste
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Mustard oil – 1/2 tablespoon [buy here]

In the picture above (clockwise from left): boiled potatoes, microwaved tomatoes, green chili, dry red chili, garlic, onion.

How To Make Sliced Aloo Chokha Style:

1. Boil the potatoes

Boil the potatoes till tender enough for slicing with gentle knife pressure. The time this would take depends on the style and thickness of the boiling pan and the size of the potatoes.

If using an Indian-style pressure cooker, here’s how to do it:

Place the potatoes in the cooker. Pour in a cup of water and lock the lid. Heat the cooker on high till you hear the first whistle. Set the heat to low. For medium-sized potatoes, cook for another 5 minutes and switch off the heat. Let the pressure of the cooker release naturally, then open the cooker, pick out the boiled potatoes and set them aside to cool.

When the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel them.

2. Chop and slice

Crush the garlic. Slit the onions into strips.

Chop green chilies into bits.

Slice the potatoes into thin disks.

3. Microwave the tomato

Chop the tomato into small cubes. Microwave on high for two minutes. Let it stand for another five minutes, then mash (coarsely done is fine).

4. Char the dry red chili

Heat a few drops of mustard oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, set heat to low and tip in the dry red chili. Keep a watchful eye and turn the chili over as soon as the side facing down turns a darker shade.

Let the other side fry and crisp up too, then pick the charred chili out of the oil and keep it aside to cool.

5. Put it all together

In the same pan, pour in the rest of the mustard oil and heat till smoky. Add half a teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them splutter.

Add the sliced onions, chopped garlic and green chilies to the pan. Fry on medium heat, moving them around regularly, till golden.

Now add the potato slices, microwaved tomatoes, charred red chili crushed to bits, and a sprinkling of salt to taste.

Mix together taking care not to break the potato slices. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

That’s it! Sliced aloo chokha style is ready.

Serve on the side with rice/chapatis, dal and another vegetable curry. (I missed clicking a pic of the meal plate – will come back to this post later and upload a pic when I make this again.)

Updated – meal plate below: lauki kofta, panchmel dal, aloo sliced chokha, chapatis.

Notes:

Try more chokha recipes:

Also check out these offbeat potato recipes:

The post Sliced Aloo, Chokha Style appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Masoor dal (red lentil) is among the most malleable of legumes – once it reaches a boil, it doesn’t take long for it to mush up. Plus it has a mild taste that makes eminently suitable for playing host to assorted vegetables. These qualities of masoor make it work beautifully as a base for soup.

You Need:

• Masoor dal (red lentil) – 1 cup [buy here]
• Potato – 1 medium
• Carrot – 2 medium (~150 grams)
• Spinach – 3-4 leaves
• Onion – 1 medium
• Green chili – 1 (more if you want it hotter)
• Pepper corns – 6-7
• Salt – 1/3 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/3 teaspoon
• Fresh coriander leaves – a few sprigs for garnishing
• Ghee or butter – 1/2 tablespoon

For the tadka:

• Amchoor powder* (raw mango powder) – 1/3 teaspoon
• Red chili flakes/paprika powder – 1/3 teaspoon
• Garlic – 4 small cloves (~1 teaspoon when chopped)
• Ghee or butter – 1/2 tablespoon
• Salt – a tiny pinch

*If you don’t have amchoor powder, substitute with a squeeze of half a lime in the end.

How To Make Vegetable Red Lentil Soup:

1. Prep the ingredients

Wash red lentil in 3-4 changes of water or till the water runs clear. Soak it in two cups of plain water for an hour.

Peel the onion. Scrape the carrot. Chop both into 1-cm cubes.

Peel the potato. Chop it into similar small pieces.

2. Cook

Heat half a tablespoon of ghee or butter in a thick-bottomed pan or pressure cooker. Add to the pan the chopped onion, carrots, potatoes, pepper corns and green chili. Sauté for five minutes or till the onions are translucent.

Mix 1/3 teaspoon of turmeric powder with the vegetables. Drain the soaking red lentil and transfer it to the pan.

Cook together for a minute, then add three cups of hot water along with salt to taste. Tear the spinach leaf into small pieces and plop them too into the pan.

If using an Indian-style pressure cooker, lock its lid and keep the heat on high till you hear a whistle. Then set the heat to low and cook till the second whistle. Switch off the heat and let the cooker release steam naturally.

If not using a pressure cooker, let the dal and vegetables simmer till they are soft and give way when pressed.

Crush vegetable pieces slightly so that they blend into the dal – you could do this in a food processor or using a hand blender or potato masher.

We are now ready for the final touch – the tadka.

3. Do the tadka

Heat half a tablespoon of butter or ghee in a tadka ladle. When it melts, add to it finely chopped garlic. Keep stirring/swirling to prevent burning. Toast the garlic till they are gold-rimmed. Switch off the heat and add to the sizzling garlic a pinch of salt and half a teaspoon each of red chili powder + amchoor powder.

Ladle the dal into serving bowls and sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves. Drizzle the chili-garlic tadka all over. And that’s it – vegetable red lentil soup is ready – dig in! Serve hot as a soup or on the side with a bigger Indian meal.

Meal below: vegetable red lentil soup, methi gobhi, kachumber, potato fries, chapatis.

Notes:

Variation: experiment with other vegetables in this soup: cauliflower and sweet potato, for example.

Like the idea of combining vegetables with dal? Then you should check out these recipes:

The post Vegetable Masoor Dal: Red Lentil Soup appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

This recipe is supremely easy to put together – no anxious sun-drying of washed okra, no meticulous wiping with kitchen towel…you can immediately cook the okra post-washing.

Note: Pick very fresh, bright green, tender baby okra for this recipe.

You Need:

[Servies 3-4]

• Fresh okra – 250 grams
• Baby potatoes – 250 grams
• Tomatoes – 4
• Green chilies – 2
• Garlic – 6 small cloves (~2 teaspoons when chopped)
• Salt – to taste
• Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon (more if you like it hotter)
• Pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Vegetable or peanut oil – 2 teaspoons

How To Make Okra and Baby Potato Stew:

1. Prep the vegetables

Wash the baby potatoes: In lukewarm water, soak the baby potatoes for 10 minutes. Scrub the skin clean. Wash in a couple of changes of water.

With a fork or toothpick, prick holes all over each baby potato’s surface. [This will help the potatoes cook faster and absorb the flavors of the curry.]

Wash the okra. Snip the top off each okra. Cut into 2-inch pieces if the okra is long; anything under 3-inches means you can leave the okra whole.

Peel and finely chop garlic cloves. Slit the green chilies vertically.

Quarter the tomatoes and place them in a food processor or mixie.

Puree the tomatoes.

2. Cook

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, add to it cumin seeds and chopped garlic.

After the cumin seeds have spluttered and the garlic turned golden, add to the pan turmeric powder and give it a quick stir.

Add tomato puree to the pan. Bring to a boil. Set heat to its lowest setting. Mix salt, pepper and red chili powder into the bubbling puree. Cook covered, undisturbed, for five minutes.

Stir the tomato curry, add baby potatoes and green chilies to the pan.

Cook for 12-13 minutes with the pan covered. Stir the contents of the pan once or twice in between, for even cooking.

Tip in the okra into the pan.

Mix. Stew the vegetables covered for another 20 minutes or till the potatoes and okra are tender and have absorbed the flavors of the tomato curry. Stir around once, gently, in between.

Baby potato and okra stew is ready.

Serve hot with rice.

Notes:

Like the idea of stews? Check out lauki aloo stew. chow chow stew, express mooli sambar – radish lentil stew.

Interested in more okra recipes? Try dahi bhindi. bhindi do pyaza, okra stuffed with peanut spice.

The post Okra and Baby Potato Stew appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

You Need:

• Potatoes – 2 large
• Red/yellow bell peppers – 2
• Green chilies – 2
• Amchoor powder (raw mango powder) – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 tablespoons

The links above are amazon.com affiliate links. The Steaming Pot will earn a small commission if you buy via the links, at no additional cost to you.

How To Make Aloo Capsicum Dry:

1. Prep the vegetables

Boil the potatoes unpeeled till they have softened slightly – just enough to make the skin come off easily, not so much that it get mashed. This step is to quicken the cooking process with oil and make the peel come off easily. (If boiling in an Indian-style pressure cooker, place the potatoes along wit two cups of water into the cooker, lock lod and place on high heat till the cooker gives off a whistle. Let the pressure release naturally.)

Pick the potatoes out of the water they were boiled in and let them cool to room temperature. Peel and slice them into thick sticks or wedges.

Core and chop the peppers to roughly the same thickness and length as the potato wedges.

2. Cook

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Slide in the potato wedges when the oil is hot.

Cook the potatoes covered, moving them around every other minute. If there is some sticking to the bottom of the pan, do not hurry to scrape it – it will all come off easily when you cover the pan and let some moisture build inside.

Let the potato wedges turn gold-rimmed, then add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and some salt.

Mix and tip in the chopped bell peppers and whole green chilies.

Give it a stir to coat the bell peppers with the spices. Adjust salt and continue to cook till the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I prefer the bell peppers to have some crunch (about 2 mins covered + 5 mins uncovered) – if you want them softer, add to the cooking time.

Note: Red/yellow bell peppers cook faster than green. If using a mix of green/red/yellow, add the green bell peppers a couple of minutes before before you add the red and yellow.

When the vegetables are nearly done, sprinkle half a teaspoon of amchoor powder. Mix well.

Potato capsicum dry sabzi is ready.

Serve as a colorful accompaniment to any Indian meal.

Notes:

Bell peppers interest you? Then you should check out these recipes:

Meal below (clockwise from left): buttery green beans, spiced fried onions, Gujarati moong dal, aloo capsicum dry, chapatis.

The post Aloo Capsicum Dry – Peppy Peppery Side Dish! appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

You Need:

[For 3-4 servings]

• Potatoes – 2 medium
• Cauliflower – 1 small; ~2 cups of florets
• Salt – to taste
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 teaspoon (buy here)
• Mustard oil – 1 tablespoon

How To Make Aloo Gobhi Bhujiya:

Peel and cut potatoes into 2-cm cubes.

Break/cut cauliflower into similar-sized florets.

Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil in a kadhai or skillet.

When the oil is hot, add to it half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and let the seeds sizzle and darken.

Tip in chopped potatoes to the hot oil.

Set the heat to medium, stir around to coat the potatoes with the hot oil.

After a minute, add cauliflower florets to the kadhai.

Stir and cook for five minutes. The vegetables would be getting a golden edge at this stage.

Sprinkle salt to taste. Mix well, and continue to cook covered till the vegetables are cooked without losing their crunch. Uncover and stir around once or twice for even cooking.

Cooking further should take another five to ten minutes, depending on the heat and the thickness of the kadhai.

Aloo gobhi bhujiya is ready.

Serve with any Indian meal, or pack in the lunchbox along with pooris or parathas.

Meal below: khichdi, jackfruit pickle, fresh carrot sticks, aloo gobhi bhujiya.

Notes:

Looking for other dry potato recipes? Try aloo pyaz ki bhujiya, anari aloo, cabbage potato peas curry, jhatpat aloo with lime.

Cauliflower interests you? Check out this cheesy cauliflower recipe or go exotic with gobhi musallam.

Do more with mustard oil: add it to parval chokha, use it as a sharp curry tempering or as a pickling agent.

The post Aloo Gobhi Bhujiya: Potato Cauliflower Stir Fry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

If tinda is unfamiliar to you, here’s an intro:

Tinda is called apple gourd in English, a name it gets from its resemblance to small green apples. The vegetable is commonly found in North India and gets a bad rap for being “boring”. I might have agreed with that adjective a few years ago, but time has led me to become quite fond of this squash. I wish good-quality tinda was as easily accessible elsewhere as it is in North India. If you do find it, get hold of small spotless ones to make this aloo tinda curry.

You Need:

• Potatoes (aloo) – 250 grams
• Apple gourd (tinda) – 400 grams
• Tomatoes – 2 large (~2 cups when chopped)
• Onions – 2 small (~1 cup when chopped)
• Garam masala – 1/4 teaspoon
• Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Asafoetida powder – a pinch
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil for cooking (mustard or peanut) – 2 tablespoons

How To Make Aloo Tinda ki Sabzi:

1. Before you cook: prep the vegetables

Peel the tinda, potatoes and onions.

Chop the tinda into halves, or quarters if they are large. Chop the potatoes into similar sized cubes. Slice tomatoes and onions into small pieces.

2. Cook

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a kadhai or pan.

When the oil is hot, add to it fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida powder.

As soon as the seeds splutter, add chopped onions to the hot oil and let them cook till translucent (about 2 minutes).

Then add the potato and tinda pieces.

[Note: If the potatoes are of the tough variety, add them first and cook them for a few minutes. Then add the tinda a few minutes later.]

Stir the vegetables to coat them with the oil, and cook for two minutes.

Add the dry spice powders: coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, pepper powder, garam masala.

Sprinkle salt to taste, and tip in the chopped tomatoes.

Cook for two minutes, then add half a cup of hot water.

Let the curry come to a boil, then set heat to low. Cover and simmer till the vegetables are cooked. (~10minutes)

Aloo tinda ki sabzi (potato apple gourd curry) is ready.

Serve hot.

Meal below: tinda aloo ki sabzi with chapatis and homemade dahi.

Notes:

Also try a tinda-only curry: tinda masala.

Check out other potato-squash/gourd combinations: lauki aloo, potato pumpkin masala, ridge gourd potato in poppy seed paste.

The post Aloo Tinda ki Sabzi: Potato Apple Gourd Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Especially recommended if you want a break from onion and garlic.

Ingredients:

[Serves 4-6]

• Cabbage – 1 medium
• Potatoes – 2 large
• Peas – 1 cup
• Carrot – 1
• Tomatoes – 3
• Pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard oil – 2 tablespoons
• Coriander leaves – for garnishing

How To Make Cabbage Peas Potato Curry:

1. Chop the vegetables

Peel and chop the potato into 2-cm cubes.

Chop the cabbage into 3-cm pieces.

Scrape and slice the carrot into 2-cm pieces.

Shell the peas (if fresh) or thaw (if frozen).

Cut the tomatoes into similar-sized strips.

2. Cook

Heat mustard oil in a skillet or kadhai.

Add the tadka ingredients to it in quick succession: fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder.

As soon as the fenugreek seeds turn a dark shade, set heat to low and transfer chopped potatoes to the kadhai. Stir to coat with the oil.

After 2 minutes, tip in the chopped carrots and cabbage, along with shelled peas.

Give it all a turn, cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, and add the dry spice powders: cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, pepper powder, and salt.

Mix again and let the spices cook with the vegetables for another 5 minutes. Now add the sliced tomatoes.

Add a small cup of water to the kadhai. Bring to a boil, then set the heat to low.

Cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables cook undisturbed for 6-7 minutes. Uncover, stir and keep a watchful eye on the kadhai from this point onwards. Check if the vegetables have softened to your liking. If not continue to cook covered; if yes switch off the heat.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves over the cooked vegetables.

Patta gobhi aloo matar (cabbage potato peas curry) is ready.

Serve hot with chapatis or parathas.

Related Recipes:

Like the idea of combining together varied vegetables as in this recipe? Then you must check out our other mixed vegetable recipes:

Want to do more with cabbage in your cooking? Try these interesting cabbage recipes:

The post Patta Gobhi Aloo Matar: Cabbage Potato Peas Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.