IFC NET presents World Healing Cuisine
Potato and Pea Curry

In the dish is very popular through out India, varying only in the way the spices are used. In some parts this is accompanied with Puri or Chapati. It is also used as filling for Samosas, or served as side dish with a main meal.

Ingredients

4 tablespoon of vegetable oil
4 medium size potato peeled and cubed
3/4 cup of fresh Pea
2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon black mustard seed
1 large or 3 mall onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon pureed ginger
2 to 4 pieces of chilies
1" cinnamon stick

Heat oil in pan or wok, then add mustard seed and cinnamon stick and roasted until the seeds pop. When the seed start to pop immediately add onion ( If you have excess to fresh curry leave or bay leave, you could add a few) and  stir fry until the onions are soft. At the meantime also add ginger and garlic. This should take about five min, then all the spices and stir fry until you could smell the rich aroma of the spices, roughly 3 min. 

Add the potato and stir well until the potato is full coated with the spices and when they start cooking reduce the heat and cover with a lid, and stir it occasionally

When the potato begins to soften add the peas and mixing well, and salt according to personal taste. 

When cooked add lemon juice, again to personal choice and taste.

For use as a filling in Samosas allow the mixture to cool before using. For fast cooling spread out thinly on a flat tray.

Spinach Kofta

 

This dish is also very popular all over India, but the method or preparation vary for district to district.

1 cup of Besan (chickpea)  flour 
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 large onions chopped
2 bunch spinach or 1 bunch silver beet

Wash spinach well and remove white stalks. Place in a saucepan with  water just covering the base of the pan and cook until soft.  Drain the cooked spinach. Puree onions and spinach together then add the remaining ingredients, (all salt according to personal taste) except for the besan floor. Let stand for 1/2 hour.  

Add besan flour and mix well. The resulting paste should be quite thick, but not overly so. test by dropping a portion from a teaspoon; it should drop easily without running off the spoon. 

Deep fry a teaspoon full per portion until golden brown. You could fry half a dozen at a time. Make sure that the oil is not to hot as the outside will burn before the inside is cooked.  

Serve with mint sambal of Thai sweet chili sauce garnished with fresh coriander or mint leaves and two slices of tomato for color

 

Pakora 

1 carrot large
1 small sweet potato
1 large onion 
1 red or green pepper
hand full of cauliflower
hand full of fresh coriander leaves

Same ingredients as above. Same cooking method.

Sri Param Eswaran uses all the off cuts  from  the vegetables that he uses for garnishing  and stir fry vegetables. One could use just about any vegetables as one likes. All the vegetables should be diced and not pureed as above. The diced vegetable should never be bigger then a baby pea. You could grade the vegetables, but the taste would not be nutty or as nice as diced mixture.

Serve in the same way as above. Very popular among children and adults alike when nutty.

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copyright © IFC NET 2000  Last modified July 15th. 2000