Aloo Curry / Aloo Masala

Some tastes just get stored in your taste buds, that you would never want to get away or alter a particular recipe in any way, to make even the slightest change. This aloo curry is one such recipe. No matter what, I would just blindly follow this recipe, that my mom always used to make. As kids, we used to love it and we still do and can just scrap off the bowl untill the last bit is consumed.

If you are wondering what is so special about this recipe then let me tell you that, this recipe has the minimal ingredients that could be used to make a potato curry, so amazing and finger licking good. It is just one of the perfect recipes I have ever known. While it cooks in the pressure cooker, you could parallely work on the poori /parathas/rotis that could pair well with it and make an awesome meal in just half an hour. So here is the recipe for that awesome aloo curry.

Ingredients

1. 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
2. 1/2 cup of red onion sliced
3. 2 green chillies, slit length wise
4. 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
5. 1/2 tsp of garam masala
6. Salt to taste

For tempering

1. 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
2. 1 tbsp of chopped red onion
3. 1 sprig of curry leaves
4. 1 tbsp of oil

Method

• In a pressure cooker, add the potatoes, sliced red onion, green chillies, turmeric powder, salt and water just enough to immerse the potatoes.
• Cook it on high heat for 1 whistle followed by 1 whistle on medium heat. Turn off the heat and let the pressure subside.
• Open the pressure cooker. Mash the potatoes to break it down into smaller parts. Add more water if needed to attain a mushy consistency. Add the garam masala. Put it back on heat and let it come to a boil. Remove it from the heat.
• In a pan, take 2 tbsp of oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and wait for it to pop.
• Add the chopped onion and curry leaves and saute it until the onion turns brown. Pour it on top of the cooked potatoes. 
• Serve it hot with some chapathi or pooris.

Tips

1. While mashing the potatoes, removing the green chillies would help to keep the spiciness under control. Once the potatoes are mashed, you could add back the green chillies.
2. Do not over cook the potatoes. A little bit of chunky as well as the overall mushy texture is what we would need for this curry.