Curries/ Konkani Dishes/ Recipes/ Vegetarian

Batate Song/Potato Curry

Potatoes came to India along with the Portugese and once they got there they made themselves at home and now show up in a variety of dishes.  These range from the popular aloo-tikki (potato cutlet) to the ubiquitous potato bhaji which is eaten with pooris, dosas, rotis and rice.  “Batate Song” is a classic Konkani dish and gets it distinct flavor from the coconut oil in which the onions and  masala is fried.  Lets get started!

Ingredients

  • Potatoes - 3 large, peeled and cubed
  • Onion - 1 large, chopped
  • Coconut oil - 2 tblsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Masala:-
  • Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
  • Byadgi red chillies- 10-12 (or depending on your taste)
  • Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
  • Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Instructions

1

Pre-cook the potatoes in water till half done.

2

Blend the masala ingredients to a smooth paste.

3

Heat coconut oil in a pan.  Add chopped onions and fry till translucent..

4

Put in the blended masala and fry well.

5

Add the half boiled potatoes, mix well.  Also half a cup of water can be added at this point.

6

When almost done, add salt to taste.

7

Serve hot with white rice and daal or with rotis or with neer dosas or with shevais or with... the possibilities are endless!!

Note:

  • To get the authentic taste, coconut oil is a must, but I know that there are people who do not like the flavor of the oil, so in that case, use any oil of your choice.
  • This version uses coconut in the masala, there is an alternate version that does not use coconut, but that’s for another post…
  • As again with many other dishes, the colour depends on the type of chillis used.  Byadgi and Kashmiri chillies tend to give the dish a reddish colour.
  • More water can be added if you prefer more gravy.

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Navdeep
    April 4, 2013 at 1:04 am

    I can’t wait to try this recipe. Where should I look for Byadgi red chillies ?

    • Reply
      Aparna
      April 7, 2013 at 7:20 pm

      Navdeep, previously we would get the Byadgi chillies from India, but these days, its available at most Desi stores here!

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