Potatoes in Coconut Curry with Mint and Cilantro

~6 Servings~
Adapted from Suvir Saran’s Indian Home Cooking 

I’ve made this recipe substituting eggplant for the potatoes.  Paneer or tofu may work well too.  If you try out a different main ingredient, let me know.  I haven’t tried it with cauliflower as suggested in Indian Home Cooking.  For some reason, the combination doesn’t really appeal to me.  Also, don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients this recipe calls for – most of them are things you have in your pantry.  And in a pinch, I’ve made this without the mint and just substituted twice as much cilantro (with the stems!) which packs a lot of fresh, tangy flavor on it’s own.

Onion-Coconut Paste:
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 large onion, quartered (red or yellow)
1/4 cup shredded coconut (fresh or frozen)
2 green cardomoms (popped out of the shell)
2 tablespoons water

Mint-Cilantro Paste:
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup coriander leaves (you can use the stems too)
1-2 green chilis

Other:
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
4 green cardomoms (popped out of the shell)
4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Fistful of curry leaves
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
1 28 oz. can of coconut milk (I use light coconut milk to keep things on the healthier side)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder)
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
3-4 potatoes (peeled and diced into bite size pieces)
Fistful of fresh chopped cilantro for garnish 

In a food processor or blender, blend the peanuts to a consistency of semi-fine crumbles.  Add the remaining ingredients for the onion-coconut paste and process until you have a smooth paste.  Keep aside.

Add the mint-cilantro paste ingredients to the food processor bowl and process until you have a smooth paste.  Add a little water if necessary.

In a large stockpot, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat.  Add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the cinnamon sticks, cardomom pods, cloves, curry leaves, ginger and garlic stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.

Add the onion-coconut paste and salt to taste (I add about 2 teaspoons) and cook uncovered until the water evaporates from the paste and the oil separates.  Steam pockets will develop that make the paste puff up so be sure to keep an eye on it and stir.  Cook for about 7-10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and stir until the pieces are coated with the mixture.  Cook with the stockpot partially covered so some steam can vent out for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are slightly tender when poked with a fork, stirring occasionally.

Add the coconut milk, cumin powder, chili powder, garam masala and mint-cilantro paste and stir well.  Cook for another 10 minutes halfway covered stirring occasionally or until the potatoes are completely tender.  

Add salt to taste and shower with cilantro.  Serve hot with roti or naan and rice with raita. 

Spicy Pesto Third Way: Basil-Mint Pesto Tofu Scramble

Grocery:
2-3 tablespoons spicy pesto
1 package tofu
1 yellow onion, diced
Half a beefsteak tomato, diced
1 potato, boiled, peeled and cubed
Half a 28 oz. can white tuscan beans, drained and rinsed
Handful of tostada shells or tortilla chips

1. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet.  Add the onions and saute until translucent.
2. Squeeze the water out of the tofu.  Use your hands to crumble into small pieces and then add to the skillet and cook until golden.
3. Add the beans and tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are melted and the beans softened.
4. Add the potatoes.
5. Mix about 1/4 cup water with the pesto and pour over the scramble.  Cook on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes and then serve hot with tostadas.

Spicy Pesto Second Way: Basil-Mint Pesto Bruschetta

For the Spicy Basil-Mint Pesto recipe click here.

Additional Grocery:
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced into pieces about half to three-fourth inch thick
Handful thinly sliced garlic (optional)

Making Pesto Bruschetta: This is an easy appetizer to make for a dinner party because you can make the pesto a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator.  It’s also a really colorful addition to a dinner table (and while I love food to taste good, looking pretty is nice too).  When you’re ready to serve, arrange the bread slices on a cookie tray.  Smear a little Olivio or butter on one side of each piece of bread.  Sprinkle the garlic pieces over the bread so each bread piece has one or two pieces of garlic.  Spread a generous layer of pesto over each slice of bread.  Pop the tray into the oven at about 350 degrees or into a toaster oven for about 4-5 minutes or until the bread starts to look a little golden around the edges.  Eat while still toasty.

Serve this alone as an appetizer or alongside pasta.  We had ours with leftover Pesto Marinara on Whole Wheat Linguine (happy to report that it made for great leftovers).