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
Pre-cook the potatoes in water till half done.
Blend the masala ingredients to a smooth paste.
Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and fry till translucent..
Put in the blended masala and fry well.
Add the half boiled potatoes, mix well. Also half a cup of water can be added at this point.
When almost done, add salt to taste.
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.
2 Comments
Navdeep
April 4, 2013 at 1:04 amI can’t wait to try this recipe. Where should I look for Byadgi red chillies ?
Aparna
April 7, 2013 at 7:20 pmNavdeep, previously we would get the Byadgi chillies from India, but these days, its available at most Desi stores here!