The Suburban Herbivore

A long time ago, our friend Don wrote down for us his technique for making curried potatoes. Since just about every ingredient is something that one would typically have in one’s pantry, I decided to share the recipe during my Pantry Challenge. It’s not by any stretch authentic Indian food, but it’s still delicious.

There’s  a long list of ingredients here, but there’s not anything to do that’s more complicated than peeling and chopping. Missing an ingredient? Don’t let that keep you from trying this. If you happen to be out of cumin, for example, but have coriander or garam masala, those will work just fine. Or leave out the cumin altogether. No green Tabasco sauce? No problem, though you may want to add a little extra Cholula or whatever hot sauce you’re using.

Make this on a weekend afternoon when there’s time to let it simmer for a while, or put it together when you get home from work and let it cook while you put the kid(s) to bed. It’s definitely got a kick as presented here, so you may want to scale back the hot sauce, red pepper flakes, hot peppers, and/or cayenne pepper if you’re not accustomed to spicy food. I make this in the same six quart stockpot as I do my Black Beans.

Ingredients

olive oil as needed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large poblano pepper, chopped
2 or 3 hot peppers, like serranos or jalapenos, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic
5 medium to large potatoes (I use Yukon Gold), peeled and chopped
1 15-oz can of peas, drained (or equivalent amount frozen)
6 tsp Madras (or other mild) curry powder, divided
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
goodly splash of soy sauce (or tamari)
10 shakes green Tabasco sauce
5 shakes Cholula (or your preferred hot sauce)

1. Chop/dice everything that needs chopping/dicing. You can wait to do the potatoes.
2. Heat olive oil in pot on medium, or whatever setting you use to saute onions. Use enough oil to cover the bottom, then a tiny bit more. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, poblano, hot peppers, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute for a few minutes. Then add everything else (using 4 tsp of curry powder and reserving the rest) except the potatoes and peas.
3. Saute until the onions are translucent and the veggies are starting to break down. (5-10 minutes) During this time, peel and chop the potatoes.
4. Add potatoes. Mix everything up until the potatoes are completely coated. Then add enough water to just cover the potatoes. (In my pot, this is about two cups.)
5. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly done. Expect this to take at least half an hour. (I try to drag it out as long as I can bear it to let the flavors really meld.) Add the final 2 tsp of curry powder. Add the peas, and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
6. Serve with basmati rice.

Alternatives:

1. Add 2 cups fresh spinach at the same time as the peas. Or instead of the peas, like I usually do.
2. Pimentos – drained and rinsed. I’ve never tried this, but Don says, “I used a big jar once instead of bell peppers.”
3. I don’t think I’ve ever tried chickpeas in this, either, but I really should. I wouldn’t add them at the same time as the potatoes, but I wouldn’t wait until the end, either. Maybe about 15 minutes into simmering?
4. For a less dark and smoky-tasting curry, reduce the soy sauce and leave out the chili powder.