Original Recipe: http://bit.ly/16jU9Id
When I lived in New York (I’m in Ohio now), there was an Indian place down the road from which S.’s family would order. For five bucks, we could get a main dish and several sides. It’s from here I got the idea for the paneer, and it’s from here I got the idea for potato curry. I love potatoes, almost as much as I love cheese. I LOVE cheese. That’s one of the reasons I knew I wanted to do a potato curry: to satisfy my own selfish desires (the paneer fulfilled this as well). Like the other Indian recipes, I wanted to limit the number of spices and extra ingredients I needed to purchase. I tend to keep potatoes and peas around, so this was a big win. And it was yummy. Almost as yummy as the fried paneer. Almost.
Substitutions:
1. Used brown mustard seeds instead of black.
Final Result Impressions:
It’s important to note that, while I do enjoy the flavor of coconut, I have issues with its texture. J. does not have this issue. So I ate the beans freely, with a piece of coconut stuck on here and there, and left behind the coconut flakes for her. She ate them with relish. There was a lot of flavor added to the beans just from cooking with the coconut, so I don’t regret making it at all.
Cost v. Outcome
Ingredients
◦6 medium russet potatoes…………………. 5 lbs. bag ~ $3
◦2 tbsp. oil…………………………………………….Had on-hand, 1 q. bottle ~ $3
◦1 tsp. salt…………………………………………….Had on hand, 1 tub ~ $3
◦1/2 tsp. cumin seed…………………………….4 oz. bag ~ $5
◦1/2 tsp. brown mustard seeds…………….4 oz. bag ~ $3
◦1 tsp. turmeric powder………………………..4 oz. bag ~ $5
◦1 tsp. ground coriander……………………….4 oz. bag ~ $5
◦1/2 tsp. cayenne………………………………….Had on-hand, 4 oz. bag ~ $6
◦1.5 cups water…………………………………….FREE
◦2/3 cups frozen peas…………………………..Had on-hand, 1 pound ~ $1
Yields: ~ 6 servings
This recipe called for the most spices that I didn’t have waiting in my cabinet. Again, I had help paying for these, and I buy all my spices at Penzey’s (www.penzeys.com). Ultimately, my friends and family paid for the spices with their contributions. For $20, I was able to purchase four ounces each of cumin seeds, ground coriander, mustard seeds, turmeric, and black peppercorns. I feel like I got something else, too, but I cannot remember it off the top of my head. Oh well. This was good. I WILL make it again.
Half Assed Gourmet 