A tangy Indian potato curry with a great spicy, sweet and sour note. It’s easy to make and you should easily get all the ingredients in your Indian shop.
when I eat an Indian meal with rice, I like potato currys. This makes the meal more filling. Batata nu shaak simply means potato vegetable in Gujarati, so it is simply a Gujarati potato curry, with the typical spicy, sweet and sour note of the Gujarati cuisine.
It is a common component of a Gujarati thali, as a vegetable, not as the main carb. While in Europe potatoes typically eaten as the carb of a meal, in Indian cooking that is not the case. So don’t be suprised if you’re being served rice or bread with potato. For me, this alone would not do the trick, but if you add a dal or pulse, then it becomes a nice meal.
Tips for the preparation
When I was preparing this dish, I boiled the potatoes firmly, thinking they would get too soft, if lateron being simmered in a gravy. That was a mistake. The flavour stayed in the gravy and did not get into the potato cubes. So better boil them as long as you would normally do, which I will do from now on, when I make Indian potato currys.
If you prepare the dish using tamarind pulp, best is to pour a bit of boiling water over it and let it soak for a while. Later whisk it and pour into your dish. If you just add it unsoaked to the dish it won’t mix well.
The thickness of the curry you can simply adjust yourself by how much of the potato you mash. As you can see, mine is on the rather thicker side. It actually comes nicer, if you have it more liquidy.
If you want to learn more about Indian or Gujarati cooking, please take a look at the respective regional pages. You’ll find further recipes, alongside tips and the background of the cuisine.
Batata nu shaak – Indian potato curry Gujarati style
Ingredients
- 500 g potato peeled
- 3 Tbsp. oil
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds (indian)
- 1 pinch asafoetida powder
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 red chili dried, whole
- 1 star anise
- 3 black pepper corns
- 3 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ginger grated
- 2 green chilies slit
- 1 Tbsp. gram flour
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp. red chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. coriander powder
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp. jaggery or 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. tamarind pulp alternatively some lime juice
- ½ tsp. garam masala
- some coriander leaves
Instructions
- Peel and boil the potatoes and cut them into cubes (1/2 – 1 inch).
- In a small bowl, make a masala paste by mixing a bit of water with turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Keep the paste aside for later.
- If you decide to use tamarind, soak it in hot water, unless you have bought a ready to use puree.
- Heat oil in a pan on high heat. Add the mustard seeds and let the mustard splatter properly (it will jump up, be a bit careful).
- Once it splatters properly, reduce to medium heat, add the asafoetida, curry leaves, red chilies, bay leaf, star anise, black pepper, cloves and the cinnamon for about a minute.
- The, add the grated ginger and the slit, green chilies and sauté for a bit.
- Add the gram flour and stir until it browns a bit.
- Add the masala paste into the oil and sauté it until the oil separates on the sides.
- Add the potato cubes, salt and stir.
- Then add some water, mash a few potato pieces to thicken the gravy and mix it well.
- Cover it with a lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Now add the jaggery or brown sugar, the tamarind pulp or lime, garam masala, mix it in and switch off the flame.
- Before serving, garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Enjoy!
Please rate my recipe before you leave 🙂:
Notes
Cooked with love on From zero to curry.
