Aloo Kalia Razala (Vegetarian)

This recipe is inspired from the book, "Cooking Delights of the Maharajas: Exotic Dishes from the Princely House of Sailana". My friend Ushnish Gosh's creation of the same recipe had actually exhorted the cook in me to make it in the vegetarian way, although he had created this coveted recipe with mutton/venison. I decided to reincarnate this dish the vegetarian way with potatoes (instead of paneer as he suggested).

Why potatoes? Well, when you read the recipe you would realize that the dish is to be made in dum (covered and cooked slowly). If I cook paneer in dum, the paneer with crumble and if I add it at the end, it doesn't imbibe the flavors. Hence, I decided that good starchy potatoes can with stand the procrastinated cooking well.

I have tweaked the recipe a little. I have used the ghee and coriander at the last half hour of cooking to avoid coriander leaves from burning. I have used both ghee and oil to cook this dish. You may add extra ghee instead of the oil and add it all in the beginning( like the original recipe asks you ).

As Ushnish mentions, this is a full carb and fat dish; Make it when you have guests over so that you don't gobble the whole dish alone. As per the book, the original recipe hails from one of the begaum's of Bhopal's kitchen.

Ingredients:-
5 large russet potatoes diced into 1.5 inch cubes (or any potatoes with high levels of starch)
5-6 green chillies slit (I included the seeds)
1 larged onion sliced thin
1/3 cup of olive oil (or ghee)
1/4 cup of ghee
1/2 cup fresh whisked yogurt/curd
2 tsp of shredded ginger
1 tsp of garlic paste
2 tsp of roasted and ground cumin seed powder (fresh)
1/4 cup coriander leaves

Method:-
Take a heavy bottom pan. Heat the oil.
Add the onions,green chillies, ginger, garlic paste and mix well.
Add the potatoes and yogurt. Mix well.
Add salt and cumin powder. Mix well.
Close the lid tightly and cook closed for half hour in low-medium flame.
Add the ghee and coriander leaves after half hour, still well and cook closed for another half hour.
Stir and Serve hot.