Indian Eggs and Potatoes

Unday aur aloo, from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, by Madhur Jaffrey, Barron's, Woodbury, NY, 1983. ISBN 0-8120-2700-0.

This is a creamy egg and potato dish with a kind of dark flavor (especially if you slightly burn some of the potatoes).

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, peeled
A 1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups + 2 T water
1 lb potatoes, peeled (I've used baking potatoes, but she probably has boiling potatoes in mind)
6 T oil
2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 T ground coriander
1 teaspoon plain flour
4 T yoghurt
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 T chopped fresh coriander
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Directions

Blend the garlic, ginger and 2 tablespoons water in a blender or food processor until you have a paste. Cut the potatoes into julienne strips: 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch by 1.5 inches. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high flame. When hot, put in the potatoes. Turn and fry them until all sides turn golden brown. The potatoes should not cook through. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put aside on a plate.

Put the onions into the same oil. Stir and fry until they turn medium brown. Now put in the garlic-ginger paste. Stir and fry for a minute. Put in the cayenne, coriander and flour. Stir for a minute. Put in 1 tablespoon of the yoghurt. Stir for about 20 seconds or until it has been incorporated into the goo. Add all the yoghurt this way (1T at a time). Now put in the tomatoes. Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cup water and the salt. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add the garam masala and the fresh coriander. Stir gently to mix.

Halve the eggs crosswise and carefully put them into the frying pan with the cut sides up. Try not to let the yolk fall out. Spoon some sauce over the eggs. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Serves 4-6.

Jim Plank

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