Potato in Yogurt Sauce (Dahiwaale Aloo)

Delhi had its hottest day in 50 years a few days ago. The temperature reached a whopping 43.5 degrees (110.3 F), which is very hot, considering it was still April. It's May now and the temperature is only rising. Hoping things will improve and the much awaited rain will bring some relief.

What's the best way to cool it off when the temperature hits the roof? Drinking lots of cold water, eating fruit like watermelon and honeydew, chilling out on ice creams and popsicles, having a cold water bath, and sitting in an air-conditioned room all day are some options. In cooking, summer is generally the season when you go easy on the spices and ghee. Another important ingredient that finds its place in most Indian kitchens during the hot summer months is good old yogurt, also called curd or dahi. Dahi is eaten as-is after a meal, or mixed with sugar to substitute for dessert. Another dessert option is frozen yogurt which comes in plenty of flavors. Buttermilk (the liquid leftover after extracting butter from churned yogurt) is popular in the south of India, as an after meal drink and is said to aid digestion.

Curries made with yogurt sauce also gain popularity in summer. You should not be surprised then, that my next few posts involve yogurt as the main food ingredient. Today I bring you "Dahiwaale Aloo" or Potato stewed in a tangy yogurt sauce. This is my version of the recipe, though there are hundreds of versions out there. Feel free to experiment with the spices. This is a complete vegan recipe (no onions or garlic) and can be made really quickly (15 minutes tops) once you have the boiled potatoes ready. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
Potatoes: 4 Medium, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
Yogurt/Dahi: 1 cup
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Ginger Paste: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder/Hing: a pinch
Besan/Gram flour: 3 tsp
Red pepper powder/Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
All spice Powder/Garam Masala/Kitchen King: 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies: 2 finely chopped
Kasoori Methi/Cilantro for garnishing
Oil: 2 tbsp

Method

1)Take yogurt in a bowl and add ginger, green chillies and the spice powders (chilli, turmeric, coriander, garam masala) and mix well.
2)Heat oil in a pan and when hot add the asafoetida powder, cumin seeds and the gram flour. Stir till the gram flour turns golden brown and gives out a good aroma.
3)Now add the yogurt mixture and keep stirring continuously till the mixture starts drying up and oil leaves the sides. Take care to keep stirring to avoid the yogurt from splitting up.
4)Add the potatoes and nicely incorporate them into the mixture.
5)Add about a cup of water and mix well. Let the gravy boil for a few minutes.
6)Garnish with Kasoori Methi or cilantro per preference.
Note:
a)I have used Kasoori Methi for garnishing.
b)By adjusting the amount of water added to the gravy, you could serve it either with roti or rice.
Check out more potato sauce recipes here at Foodista: