Dhai Aloo (Potatoes in tomato & yoghurt sauce)

If you're anything like me, when you order or make a curry, it's a pretty clear assumption that you'll be eating rice and / or bread with it. Potatoes are popular in many Indian dishes, such as sag aloo and the infamous mouth burning Bombay potatoes, but they're not often considered as an accompaniment as such. In Indian restaurants in the UK, you can order chips with your curry, (in Chinese takeaways too), a concept I scoffed at quite readily until I tried it...But, I've seen many potato dishes in Indian cookbooks, written as an alternative to eat with the curry, instead of rice or bread. This is one such dish.

What makes this dish such a winner is the combination of a tin of tomatoes and yogurt as the base for the sauce. Together they are quite strong on the sour, almost vinegar-like taste which is also creamy from the yogurt and spicy from chilies and garlic. Unfortunately, despite all my best efforts and using thick, creamy Greek yogurt, the sauce still split and curdled slightly and this time, no amount of whisking could save it. It was more of a minor nuisance than a disaster though.

Recipe : Dhai Aloo

This recipe calls for whole baby potatoes to be used, which provide a substantial, almost meaty element.

Adapted from Indian Cooking by Naomi Good

4 tbsp ghee

1 onion, chopped

1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 tbsp ground coriander seeds

2 green chili peppers, finely diced

750g (1.5 lbs) of new baby potatoes

1 tin of plum tomatoes

1 tbsp raisins or sultanas

300g (10oz) natural Greek yogurt

2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion and ginger. Fry until soft and then add the ground coriander and chili peppers. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes, stir well and cook gently for 5 minutes until they colour a little. 

Add the whole tin of tomatoes, sultanas (or raisins) and salt to taste. Stir well. Increase the heat to high and cook, uncovered to evaporate the liquid. 

As this happens, add half of the yogurt, one tbsp at a time. Keep on a fairly high heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to evaporate more liquid and cook the potatoes until soft. 

Add the remaining yogurt, lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve.