Aloo Palda / Potatoes in Yogurt Gravy

Aloo Palda is an aromatic and flavorful potato curry cooked in yogurt based gravy . A local Himachal dish, the curry is thick and creamy and pairs very well with steamed rice or phulka and makes up for a perfect lunch menu. Aloo Palda has distinct flavors from the warm spices like cardamom and cloves, is cooked in mustard oil and is tangy and mildly spicy in taste. The recipe is fuss free , needs basic ingredients and is easy to follow. Aloo Palda also comes to rescue when you have sudden guest or when you are short of fresh vegetables in your pantry :)

Himachal cuisine was the theme for the month of May on Shhhhh cooking secretly challenge, Facebook Group. My partner for the challenge was Archana Gunjikar Potdar di who is a very talented blogger and blogs at Mad Scientist's Kitchen. Check out her blog for healthy and nutritious home cooked food . She gave me mustard oil and curd as my secret ingredients and i gave her Cinnamon and ghee in return. Using the 2 ingredients i made this flavorful potato curry from Himachal cuisine. She made a delicious Tukdiya Bhaat using her secret ingredients.

                                           

I have already shared the Dham- Traditional Food Of Himachal Pradesh , recipes on my blog few months back. Himachal Pradesh cuisine is mild yet flavorful. It has a unique aroma and flavor due to use of lot of yogurt and spices like chilies, cardamom, cinnamon , turmeric and coriander powder. The food is typically cooked in mustard oil and on ;low flame. As availability of vegetables is a challenge in the hilly and cold region, pulses and root vegetables like potato are used in the daily meals. I have followed the recipe roughly from here and served aloo palda with Jeera Rice , Instant lemon pickle and roasted papadam for a comfort mid week lunch.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3- 4 potatoes
• 1 cup curd
• 2 tablespoon raw rice
• 2-3 pods of green cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3-4 cloves
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 large onion finely sliced
•  Pinch of asafoetida
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon mustard oil
• Coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Wash , peel the potatoes and chop them in fingers. Immerse in a bowl of water and keep aside until use.

                               

2. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Lower the flame, now add cumin seeds. Once they crackle add the cloves followed by cinnamon, black cardamom, asafoetida and turmeric powder.

3. Add sliced onions and saute for 1-2 minutes. Now add potatoes and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Now cover cook the potatoes on low to medium flame until they are cooked. You may add few tablespoon of water , to prevent them from catching the bottom of the pan.

                            

4. Now while the potatoes are getting cooked , grind the raw rice with peeled green cardamom seeds to a fine powder. Add this powder to the whisked curd in a bowl and blend well.

5. Now add the red chili powder and coriander powder to the cooked potatoes. Stir fry for a minute or so. Next add  the whisked curd rice mixture to it and stir well. Add little water, salt to taste and cover the pan. Allow the gravy to cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes.

  6. The delicious Aloo Palda is ready to serve. I have served aloo palda with Jeera Rice , Instant lemon pickle and roasted papadam for a comfort mid week lunch.

  Notes:

• If you have boiled potatoes ready at hand, you may use them in the recipe for a quick curry.
• The curry is mildly spicy, if you wish to have a spicy one , increase the quantity of red chili powder in the recipe.
• Aloo palda can be served both with steamed rice and chapati
• The gravy thickens further on cooling , so adjust the consistency accordingly.

I hope you would love to try out this delicious Aloo palda recipe for yourself. Would love to know your thoughts , so feel free to drop any queries, suggestions in the comment section below.

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For more recipes from Himachal Pradesh cuisine, check the following post from my blog

• Dham - Traditional Food Of Himachal Pradesh

                                       

 For more potato recipes, check out the following

• Kashmiri Dum Aloo

                                      

• Achari Aloo

                                      

• Aloo Ko Achar

                                     

• Aloo Chutney Pulao