Peas-Potato Garam Masala

Its been a few days since I've posted something. That is primarily because it has been a few days since I tried preparing something. I left it to the able hands of my cook and well, she hasn't been doing a good job of it. So today, I got back to the rut and decided to invent a dish.

I was not too successful at it... Just added everything I could think of... then did some damage control...and voila... my recipe was born!!!!!

I started off, wanting to make a potato fry recipe that I read in one of the food blogs that I follow. It was fairly simple and I thought it would be an ideal accompaniment to go along with this afternoon's lunch. Then one brainwave hit another till a huge Tsunami of ideas struck. And thus the recipe was born.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 3


2. Peas - 2 cups


3. Shallots - 10-15


4. Green Chilly - 2-3


5. Garlic - 5-6 cloves


6. Ginger - 1 inch piece


7. Cashew - 3 tblsp


8. Tomato puree - 5 tblsp


9. Hung Curd - 1/2 cup


10. Cream - 3-4 tblsp


11. Kasuri Methi - 2 tblsp


12. Amchur Powder - 1 tsp


13. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp


14. Salt to taste


15. Oil - 2 tblsp


16. Jeera - 1 tsp


17. Bay Leaf


18. Cloves - 3-4


19. Green Cardamom - 2-3


20. Black Cardamom - 2


21. Star Anise - 1


22. Nutmeg - 1/4


23. Nutmace - 1


24. Khus Khus - 1-2 tsp


25. Saunf - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Boil potatoes and peel. Cube them and set aside


2. Thaw peas if frozen. Else boil them with potatoes.


3. Grind the sallots, chillies, ginger and garlic to a fine paste.


4. Roast items 17-25 on an iron skillet and dry grind them


5. Soak cashews in warm water and make cashew paste.


6. Beat the curd well, mix the dry garam masala in the curd and set aside.


7. Mix cashew paste to this mixture.


8. Heat oil in a pan.


9. Splutter jeera and add the bay leaf.


10. Add the onion paste and fry till raw smell disappears.


11. Add tomato puree and fry well.


12. Add the curd/cashew/garam masala mixture and cook till it becomes thick and dry.


13. Add turmeric, salt and amchur powder.


14. Add kasuri methi and mix well.


15. Add water and let it boil.


16. Add the potatoes and peas and cover with a lid.


17. Allow to cook for 5-10 mins.


18. Add cream and remove from fire.

[caption id="attachment_108" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Peas n Potato Garam Masala"][/caption]

This can be had with roti's or mixed with rice. You could alter the taste by adding tamaring/more tomato puree or reducing the quantity of garam masala. Since this dish is laden with garam masala, if you mix it with rice, it tastes like pulao/biryani.

[caption id="attachment_109" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Mixed with rice"][/caption]