Ridge Gourd Potato Curry with Poppy Seed Paste
28 Sep
This ridge gourd potato curry recipe was shared by a Bengali friend, who tells me the cuisine of that area uses poppy seeds abundantly. Given how well this curry turned out, I know this spice is going to become a regular in my pantry.
A highlight of this recipe is the interesting combination of potatoes and ridge gourd. Potatoes combine well with several other veggies – cauliflower, capsicum, peas are the combinations I relish most – and now there’s an addition to the list.
You Need:
- Potatoes – 2 large
- Ridge gourd – 1
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt – To taste
- White poppy seeds – 1 tablespoon [buy here]
- Green chilies – 1 or 2, sliced
- Panch phoron (Bengali five spice mix) – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
- Mustard oil – 1 tablespoon
How To Make Ridge Gourd Potato Curry with Poppy Seed Paste:
1. Before you cook
Soak a tablespoon of poppy seeds in a tablespoon of water, for an hour. Put the soaked poppy seeds in a blender. Make a paste.
In the picture above: Poppy seed paste, potatoes, green chilies, ridge gourd, turmeric powder, panch phoron.
Scrape and cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes.
Peel and cut the ridge gourd into similar-sized cubes.
2. Cook
Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add panch phoron.
The moment the fenugreek seeds begin to turn brown, add the cubed potatoes and sliced chilies.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are half-done.
Add the cubed ridge gourd, turmeric powder and salt. Continue to cover and cook.
Add the poppy seed paste when the potatoes are nearly done.
Cook for another five minutes. Let the vegetables stand for a few minutes.
Ridge gourd potato with poppy seed paste is ready.
Serve with freshly made chapatis or rice.
Meal below: ridge gourd potato curry with poppy seed paste, boiled rice, methi gobhi and fresh onion slices.
Notes:
- Let panch phoron splutter in hot oil only enough to brown the fenugreek seeds. If underdone, the curry will taste bitter. If overdone, the curry will taste burnt!
- Panch phoron, like poppy seeds, is an important part of Bengali cuisine. If you don’t have it, you might instead use cumin + mustard seeds. But I love the saunf flavor this tadka gives to food.
- Some people cannot stand the taste of mustard oil, others find food bland if not cooked in mustard oil. If you haven’t ever used mustard oil, you should at least give it a chance [cue: mustard oil recipes]- it is not a taste that can be easily substituted. If you cannot take to it, use peanut or any vegetable oil instead.
- Ridge gourd gives off a lot of water; you need not add any extra water to this dish.
- Check out other ridge gourd recipes: stuffed ridge gourd cylinders, ridge gourd onion chutney, ridge gourd tomato curry.
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