Bengali-Style Potatoes in a Seasoned Yogurt-Pistachio Crust

These potatoes are marinated in a fragrant seasoned yogurt blend before they are fried to create a fragrant golden-brown spice crust with delicate aromatic flavours and just enough spicy heat. They're a wonderful accompaniment to almost any northern Indian style meal — or any other meal or just snacking for that matter. As an added benefit, the easy preparation required is done hours before a meal, making the actual cooking a simple process during which other dishes can be attended to.

This recipe is adapted from Yamuna Devi's indispensible Indian cookbook, Lord Krishna's Cuisine, which the author in turn adapted from a Bengali dish. Note that the green chilies do not need to be seeded to make the yogurt-pistachio blend — you can remove the seeds if you wish to reduce the "heat", but the potatoes are not spicy hot in any case. Please also note that the recipe calls for cardamom seeds and not the pods — an 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom can be substituted if you do not have the seeds on hand. Nigella seeds, curry leaves and cardamom seeds are all available at your local Indian grocer.

Also a reminder to send in one of your favorite Indian vegetarian recipes for a chance to win a lovely cookbook. Details can be found here.

Bengali-Style Potatoes in a Seasoned Yogurt-Pistachio Crust

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine Cuisine: Indian Published on February 8, 2012 Potatoes marinated in a fragrant seasoned yogurt blend and then fried to create a fragrant golden-brown spice crust with delicate aromatic flavors and just enough spicy heat. Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb small potatoes Yogurt-Pistachio Blend: 3/4 cup plain yogurt 1/3 cup raw pistachios 2 green chilies, chopped 1-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped small handful fresh coriander or parsley leaves 2 tablespoons dried grated coconut 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes 1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds Finish: 2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil 1-inch piece cinnamon stick 1 tablespoon fresh or dried curry leaves 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon turmeric juice of 1 lemon Instructions: Scrub the potatoes and cut into 1-inch or bite-sized cubes. Steam or cook the potatoes until just tender. Add the cooked potatoes to a mixing bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, pistachios, green chilies, ginger, coriander or parsley, coconut, dried red chili flakes and cardamom seeds in a small blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour the yogurt-pistachio blend over the potatoes and mix. Cover and refrigerate for 1-3 hours. Heat the ghee or olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick pan. When hot, toss in the cinnamon stick, curry leaves, cumin seeds and nigella seeds and fry for 30 seconds or until the spices become fragrant and the cumin seeds darken a couple of shades. Stir in the coated potatoes, salt and turmeric. Reduce the heat slightly to medium. Stir occasionally and cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are dry and have a golden crusty surface. Remove from heat and serve hot or warm, sprinkled with a little fresh lemon juice just before serving. Reheat potatoes by gently re-frying on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Makes 6 servings

Other Indian potato ideas you may enjoy:
Bengali-Style Crunchy Potatoes
Aloo Gobi
Tamarind Potatoes

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