Potato curry- No onion, no garlic recipe

This is a very simple dish to make. I usually make it on days on which we are fasting. Sometimes its yummily paired with Bedmi poori (will post the recipe soon).

Ingredients

• Potatoes- 3, boiled, peeled and diced
• Tomatoes- 2
• Ginger- 1' piece
• Green chillies- 1-2 (depending on the heat you want in the curry)
• Ghee/ Clarified butter- 1tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Heeng/asafoetida- a pinch

Spices

• Dhaniya power/coriander seeds powder- 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1/4 tsp
• Haldi/ Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- 1 tsp ( you can increase or decrease as per your taste)

Method

1. Grind tomatoes, ginger and green chilies together.
2. Heat Ghee in a Kadhai.
3. Add Heeng and jeera.
4. When the Jeera sizzles and brown, add the ground  tomato paste.
5. Add all the spices and mix well. Lower the flame a little and let it cook till the oil leave sides.
6. Add the potatoes and turn them in order to coat them with the cooked gravy. Add some water. Here you can decide the amount as per your need to have a thick or thin gravy.
7. You can mash a few pieces of potatoes here to give texture to the gravy.
8. Taste and adjust for salt.

Serve hot!

Khankhra ri khichri - an indian ratatouille ? or a spicy chapati porridge?

Indian mothers/homemakers have a knack of using leftovers; but what do you call a dish which is so delicious that people make sure that there are leftovers!

This khichri/porriage was perfected by my grandma who was lovingly called "baiji". All the kids of the house from my elder uncles to the youngest brother/sister totally loved it.

(For 4 servings)

You need:

• Leftover chapaties/ Paranthas- 6, Preferably sundried
• Onion- 1 big, chopped
• Potatoes- 1 medium, chopped
• Capsicum- 1 small, chopped
• Garlic- 2tsp, chopped
• Tomato- 1 small, chopped
• Tomato- 2 medium (for blending)
• Green chillies- 1 (for blending)
• Ginger- 1' long piece (for blending)
• Coriander seed powder (Dhaniya powder)- 2 tsp
• Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder (Haldi Powder)- 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Meat masala- 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Oil- 1tbsp
• Water as required

To make:

1. Blend tomato, green chillies and ginger.

2. Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok.

3. Add onions and fry till pink. Add garlic.

4. When onions acquire a reddess on the edges and garlicky smell is reduced (about 1-2 min) then add the tomato blend.

5. Add all the spices and mix. Let it cook for a few minutes.The mix will turn dry.You can add a few spoons of water if you feel that it is sticking to the base.

6.Now add Potatoes and capsicum and turn it so that the vegetables are well coated with the spices. Add 1/2 cup water , cover and cook till the potatoes are tender.

7. While this mix is getting cooked, tear the chapatis/paranthas into small pieces. Check if the vegetables are cooked.

8. Now add the shredded pieces in the masala mix and add 1 cup water. Add the chopped tomatoes.

9. Cook for 4-5 minutes more. Add water if you want a thinner porridge. Adjust for salt.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves (optional) and serve immediately.

The Capsicum which I added is optional, you can decide the veggies (think carrots, beans, peas etc.) which you want to put in it. You can also just stick to just potatoes.
It tastes good when you serve hot , but it still tastes great if you eat it the next day.

Potato and onion curry (aloo-pyaz ki sabzi)

This dish transforms the everyday veggies like potatoes and onions into a delicacy. The spices are intense and completely blended. It has rich aroma which fills the house with warmth. This is an occasional indulgence as it is rather heavy. 

I don't know the origin of the recipe, but we used to eat this in winter weddings in our hometown. It was so tasty that we skipped the whole bouquet just to hog on this one.

I've made a few changes and reduced the use of oil. 
Serves 2 very hungry mortals :)
Recipe adapted from Supriya's blog
You will need: 

1. Potatoes - 1 large
2. Onions - 4 small onions+2 medium sized onions (since i did not have baby onions, i just removed the outer layers of normal sized potatoes and used them to blend for the gravy)
3. Tomatoes - 3
4. Garlic - 7 cloves (you can use less if you want less garlicky flavor)
5. Ginger - 1" piece
6. Green chillies - 1
7. Curd - 3/4 cup (preferably sour)
8. Black Cardamom (badi ilaichi) - 1
9. Cinnamon (Dalchini) - 1 stick
10. Peppercorns (kali mirch) - 2-3 corns
11. Cloves (laung) - 2
12. Salt - to taste
13. Red chilli powder - 1  tsp
14. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
15. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
16. Garam masala - 1 tsp
17. cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
18. Asafoetida (hing) - 1 pinch
19. Oil to fry
20. Fresh coriander to garnish

How to:

1. Remove the peel of small onions and make a slit lengthwise
2. Boil the potatoes. Peel and cut them into big pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the small onions. Keep aside. 
4. Make fine paste of the medium onions, tomatoes, green chillies, garlic, and ginger in a mixer.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds and temper
6. Add the tomato-onion paste. Cover and cook well for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add water if needed
7. Tie the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and cloves in a muslin cloth and add to the pan
8. Mix the remaining spices in the curd. Add this to the pan and mix well.
9. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes till the oil leaves sides. Stir occasionally and add water when needed.
10. Remove the muslin cloth of spices.
11. Add the boiled potatoes and onions and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
12. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with rotis or laccha parantha.