Potatoes braised in a tomato-ginger gravy perfumed with cinnamon, black cardamom and crushed black pepper, finished with roasted cumin; the notebook's most regal curry.
Lunch · 15 min prep · 30 min cook · serves 3 Newly added
Ingredients
- 5 potato , medium, parboiled and cubed
- 2 tomato , pureed or finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger , grated
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 black cardamom , cracked
- 2 green cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 8 black peppercorns , coarsely crushed
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- 1 cup water
- to taste rock salt
- ½ tsp cumin powder , dry-roasted, to finish
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves , chopped
Preparation
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Warm the ghee in a heavy pot; add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, black cardamom, cardamom, cloves, pepper and tej patta, and let them perfume the fat for a minute.
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Add the ginger and fry 30 seconds, then the hing, chili powder and coriander powder.
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Add the tomato with a splash of water and cook 5–6 minutes until it breaks down into a glossy gravy.
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Add the parboiled potatoes and the cup of water with salt; cover and simmer 10–12 minutes, stirring once, until the gravy clings to the cubes.
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Crush the roasted cumin over the pot, scatter coriander, and rest 5 minutes before serving with phulka or jeera rice.
In the tradition
This is the notebook’s “company” curry, whole spices, black cardamom’s smoky depth, and a last-minute dusting of roasted cumin. Dishes like this show how a satvik kitchen builds grandeur without onion or garlic: the spices are whole, fried in ghee, and given time.
Sources & further reading
- Family recipe notebook (recorded on the curries page, potato, tomato, ginger, ghee, cinnamon, black cardamom, black pepper, roasted cumin)
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.