Potato Curry leaf Curry (Aloo Karivepaku Podi Kura)

It is quite frustrating when you can't find that one ingredient (or that one thing) you are looking for -- in my case it's curry leaves. They have been MIA from most Indian groceries in NJ for more than 1 month now. With the mega marathon cooking in full swing, I needed curry leaves for some of the dishes and they were no where to be found. I am thinking of growing curry leaf plant this year in my container garden.

Well, I made today's dish couple of months ago after watching a Telugu cooking show. This was the last of the curry leaves I bought couple of months ago. A spice powder is made with the curry leaves which is then used to flavor the potatoes.

The curry leaf powder can be stored in the fridge for up to a month, so double the recipe if you want to use it more often. It can also be added to other vegetables like eggplant, tindora (ivy gourd), green beans etc. This is a yummy side dish when served with rice and dal or even rotis. 

Potato Curry leaf Curry

Ingredients:

• 2~3 Medium Potatoes, boiled, peeled and chopped
• 2tsp Oil
• 6~8 Curry leaves
• ½tsp Mustard seeds
• ½tsp Cumin seeds
• To taste Salt
• 1tbsp Chana dal
• 1tbsp Urad dal
• 1tbsp Coriander seeds
• 2tsp Cumin seeds
• 4~6 Dry red chilies
• 1cup Curry leaves
• 2tsp Tamarind
• 4 Garlic cloves

Method:

1. Make the Curry leaf spice powder: Dry roast chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chilies until the seeds turn golden and smell fragrant, about 2~3 minutes. Remove from the pan.
2. In the same pan, add curry leaves and fry until the leaves turn crispy, about 3~4 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool.
3. Once the spices are cooled, then grind into a powder along with tamarind and garlic cloves.
4. Make the Curry: Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds; once the seeds start to splutter, add the curry leaves, potatoes and salt. Mix well, cover and cook for 3~4 minutes or until potatoes are lightly crispy around the edges.
5. Finally add 1~2tbsp curry leaf powder, mix well and cook for another 2~3 minutes. Serve with rotis or rice and sambar for a delicious meal.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: April -- Week 4'.