Aloo Kurma / Potato Gravy : No Onion Garlic Version

For the 4th and final week of Blogging Marathon # 46, am here with  No onion and Garlic recipes. Being a south Indian, I can't imagine cooking without onion and garlic. We use onions in almost all the dishes. We cook food without onion and garlic only during festivals as most of the Indians do.

Not only during festivals but few communities in India do not eat onion and garlic at all. They feel that various foods and drink can influence the state of one's mind. Onions, garlic etc, are classified as foods that change one’s mind such that it becomes angry and one cannot control it.

 From a social point of view eating strong tasting and strong smelling foods such, as onions and garlic can lead to bodily odours. These are both unsociable and disrespectful to others. Eating onions for example will lead to bad breath. Eating garlic even in small amounts can lead to days of an unsavoury odour coming from the skin.

So, for day 1, am here with some delicious gravy curry, Aloo Kurma. Yes, you read it right, aloo kurma without onion and garlic. No kurma or gravy curry is made without onion. But this version of aloo kurma has a special taste which comes from tomato and cashew paste.  Add some kasuri methi at the end of the cooking process to give a extra flavor to the gravy. I did not add in this recipe as I was out of it. This gravy/ kurma tastes good with roti, chapatti or naan. 

Here goes the recipe......

                               

We need:


Potatoes  6 medium size
Tomatoes 2 medium size
Green chili 2
Curry leaves 4
Chana dal 1spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 3/4 spoon
Chili powder 1  1/2 spoon
Haldi / Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Salt to taste
Coriander powder 2 spoons
Cashew paste 1/2 cup
Cilantro chopped 3spoons
Oil 3 spoons


Method:


Soak cashew nuts in little water for 10 minutes.
Chop tomatoes into medium size pieces.
Peel skin of potatoes, cut them into medium size pieces and drop them a bowl of water so that they do not turn black.
Heat presser cooker and add oil.
Once the oil is hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and chana dal.
Let them fry for a minute and add curry leaves and chopped tomato.
Cook till tomatoes turn little soft.
Now add potato pieces, salt, haldi, chili powder and coriander powder.

                        

Mix well and let it cook for a minute.
Now make a smooth paste with cashew nuts along with the water.
Add this to potatoes and mix well.

                            

Add 1/2 glass water and presser cook till u hear 1 whistle.
Wait for 5 minutes till all the presser is gone.
Now open the lid and give it a stir.
Add chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti's, naan or even with pulao.

                                    

Check to see what my Fellow bloggers are cooking for BM# 46.