The everyday potato gravy dominating from the street shops to the fabulous home cooks of Maharashtra is the one featured today on the blog.
The Maharashtrian cuisine series on Shhh cooking secretly group is coming up with some exciting flavours. My partner Avin, unfortunately, had to leave blogging, but she had suggested a couple of amazing ingredients for me t work with the humble potatoes and the tangy tamarind. These are two ingredients very commonly seen in Maharashtrian cuisine. So we chose the basic one to highlight.
The Maharashtra cuisine follows a Lacto ovo vegetarian style with the coastal regions relying on the fresh sea produce and meaty dishes forming a Sunday or occasional treat. What is unique about this cuisine is they have fire-breathing dragon style curries and serve it up in a thali with sinfully soothing desserts to match.
Here is one fire dragon one
The ample use of legumes, cashews, coconut and peanuts add to the nutritive value of the dishes. It also caters to the creamy craving without much cream in it.
Ideally, this current recipe is a spicy one and calls out for the rassa or the gravy part (a bit on the watery side). Keep the flat bread ready to dunk into it and serve it with sweet Basundi and it is better than a happy meal. The same recipe is made with meat and as the vegetrians want, with pan fried eggplant as a the meat substitute. Throw in some peas if you need some emreald pearls and make it all come wholesome. So here you are with the easy to tackle the recipe. Pair it up with some Kalonji Pulao or perfectly puffed poori and some Spiced buttermilk and with a serving of Basundi to finish you have a perfect indian meal ready.
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Battata Rassa baaji
Maharashtrian potato gravy
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes (the ones that hold their shape upon cooking)
- 1 cup peas ( Fresh or Frozen)
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 3 cups drinking water
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste or extract from a small lime sized tamarind.
Masala paste
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup grated coconut
- 1 inch fresh ginger root
Masala powder
- 1 tbsp Malvani masala or goda masala
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp jaggery (optional)
- salt to taste
For tempering
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tap fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 tsp Nigella seeds
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
for garnish
- 1-2 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
Instructions
- Cube the potatoes about 1/2 inch cubes and set aside
- Wash, peel and roughly chop the onions
- Remove 1 tbsp of these chopped one and finely chop them, add 2-3 curry leaves also and set aside
- Into the blender add the coconut, chopped onions, peanuts, ginger and garlic and make a fine paste.
- Into a pressure pan add the oil for tempering followed by, mustard cumin, nigella and fenugreek seeds.
- Once they start to sizzle and splutter add the curry leaves and onion, turmeric powder and chilli powder and saute till the onion turns slightly golden.
- Add the potatoes and mix them to coat the masala well.
- Add the tamaring paste, the ground masala paste, frozen peas (or fresh), water and mix well.
- Add the malvani masala, jaggery, coriander powder and salt and mix the curry base well.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles and remove from heat.
- Once cool and the pressure releases, open the pressure cooker and add curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves and the gravy is ready to serve.
Notes
The Malvani masala powder, this recipe I promise to bring up soon to you as I loved the flavours and am sure you will too.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I just love all the ingredients went in this curry Seema…looks and sounds delicious…looking forward for the malvani masala recipe
I love Gujarati-style potato bhaji, and I am guessing this would be quite close. Looks absolutely awesome!
Hubby loves peas and potato curry. I can make it a bit different by following your recipe. Looks so welcoming with some bhakri, but may not make it too spicy.
Wow this looks lip smacking delicious. I love potato curry and this a different version to try.
While watching Sanjeev Kapoor’s old shows, he would always have this rassas… I am wondering where I can get that special spice, that gravy looks amazingly tempting…
That platter with all the bhajis and this curry is awseome, Seema 🙂 greatpick for the theme !
I like any version of potato gravy.. Urs look too tempting.. Can be enjoyed with rotis r rice.. Lip-smacking rassa
Love the addition of peanuts here, never thought of adding peanuts in a potato curry. Battata rassa looks absolutely delicious, prefect side dish for rotis definitely.
Seema I love your masala. Sounds delicious especially with potato being capable of picking up any flavours it will be one Awesome vegetable.
Coconut, peanuts, jaggery… I love the flavours in your dish! Potato is such a versatile ingredient and pairs so nicely with different flavours. Thanks for sharing!
Maharashtrians can make Rassa out of anything, though potato is the preferred veggie. Isn’t Malvani masala so versatile? You can add it to any dish to amp up the flavour.
I love the Rassa Sabzi with Bhakris and I usually make this more during winters when gravies are demanded more at home. This goes well with rice and seriously takes just less time with basic prep work. Glad you enjoyed the malvani masala, I had brought some from my trip to Ganpatipule too and enjoyed making some curries at home with it.
Potato gravy sounds so flavourful and lipsmackingly delicious. I love potato and peas curry and this curry with goda masala looks mouthwatering. Lovely share.
Loved this one, it will be relished at my home. I just need some phulkas to finish it.
I always look for side dishes for chapath. This potato peas curry can be made with almost all the ingredients easily available at home(except for the Malvani masala powder). I am bookmarking this and surely going to give it a try.
The sabzi looks so delicious and inviting.. The masalas used are so different and the gravy looks really flavourful.
wow…another potato curry. My daughter a potato lover would love to have this any day.
Such a flavourful and delicious curry to serve with Rice and Roti.. Yummy!
Battata Rassa Bhaaji looks absolutely flavorful Seema and the platter looks stunning !
Batata Rassa Baaji – even the name is mouthwatering, Seema! Aloo mutter with a coconut peanut paste, goda masala and in gravy . I can’t think of anything tastier with garma garam phulka for dinner. Dipping a piece of roti in the gravy and scooping up a slice of potato – sounds like a step closer to foodie paradise! Lovely post!
Reminds me of rasa walu batata nu shaak…yumm..nice share
Ahh there we go, now we have another one to try. Thanks
Looks absolutely awesome this maharastrian potato bhaji ! awesome share 🙂