Potato Bhojia - Pakistani Style Curried Potatoes

There are days when nothing is more comforting than a meal as basic and simple as Potato Bhojia. Whether its the plunging mercury which makes one crave for carbs or a crazy weekday when you don’t have time to cook an elaborate meal for the family. This humble dish never fails to satisfy and delight everyone. I tend to slice potatoes, tomatoes, onions and chilies together in my food processor. It takes less than a minute to slice everything with unified thickness hence reducing the cooking time significantly.

Leftover bhojia either becomes a sandwich on a weekday or becomes a stuffed paratha served with milky, sugary tea on a weekend. There is no waste and no matter how much you make, the cooking pan is always wiped clean. There are quite a few ways to cook a potato bhojia. I prefer this particular method. Hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

Potatoes – ½ kilo – Thinly Sliced

Tomatoes – 2 Medium (Thinly Sliced)

Onion – 1 small (Thinly Sliced)

Green Chilies – 2 –Sliced

Oil – 3 Tbsp

Roasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp (crushed)

Roasted Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp (Crushed)

Dried Crushed Chilies – ½ tsp

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Fresh Coriander - for Garnish

Method:

1. Heat 3 tbsps of Oil in a cooking pan and add roasted/crushed cumin & coriander seeds. Let it cook for about 30 seconds.
2. Add thinly sliced onions and let it cook for 1 min or so till the onion becomes pink.
3. Now add sliced potatoes, sliced tomatoes, Crushed red chilies, turmeric, salt and half of the green chilies. Mix it and cook on high heat for 2-3 mins.
4. Add ¼ cup of water and reduce the heat. Let the potatoes cook on low heat in steam for 15-20 mins or till potatoes are done.
5. Garnish it with remaining green chilies and fresh coriander.

I serve it with homemade flat bread. A mixed salad and homemade yogurt raita always adds to the bhojia flavors.

Potato Stuffed Samosas & Green Mango Chutney

Like the rest of the world, few foods are associated with certain events and seasons in Pakistan too. Such as Kashmiri Chai is an integral part of the food served during the wedding festivities in winter season, Gulab Jamans and Ladoos are served to celebrate joyous occasions, samosay and pakoras are served with fiery chutneys as the monsoon opens the heavens after hellish summers in Pakistan.

Our love for samosas just doesn't end with the celebration of monsoon rain but takes center stage during the month of fasting – Ramzan. No iftar table is without vegetable or minced meat samosas, served with various types of chutneys.  

While growing up in Pakistan, I don’t remember samosas were ever made at home. They were always bought from family’s favorite Halwayee – Specialized sweet makers. I learnt how to make samosas after I moved to London as the local version could not satisfy my taste buds.  Ammi would always buy the uncooked vegetable samosas from Sajid Sweets in Sadaar Rawalpindi and freeze them. They were fried before iftar at home and served with homemade mint, coriander yogurt chutney. I used to (and still do) make a concoction with ketchup and mint chutney which was not pleasant to look at but tasted great with a samosa coupled with a sweet cup of tea for iftar.

With Ramzan and Monsoon not very far away, I thought it’s a good idea to share my version of the samosa recipe. I am planning to make a stock of these before the month of fasting begins end of June this year.  

Special Utensil : Griddle /Tava

Ingredients for samosa dough:

Flour – 1 Cup

Oil : 2 Tbsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Ajwain /Carom Seed – ¾ tsp

Water – ½ cup for Kneading. Use more if needed.

Knead the dough soft but firm with hand or in the kneading machine. Use water as needed. Let the dough rest for an hour before making small dough balls (Smaller than a golf ball). This dough will make around 12 small dough balls to make 12 chapattis (24 samosas).

Filling:

Potatoes – 1 kgs – Boiled /peeled/ mashed

Onions – 2 medium (thinly chopped). 3 tbsps. oil for frying the onions.

Fresh Green Chilies – 2 Medium sized (thinly chopped)

Fresh Coriander – 1/2 cup – chopped

Fresh Mint – 1/2 cup - chopped

Roasted Cumin seeds 1 ½ tsps. (Heaped – Crushed in Pestle Mortar)

Roasted Coriander seeds – 1 ½ tsps. (Heaped - Crushed in pestle mortar)

Anaar Dana powder (Dried Pomegranate powder) – 2 tsps. / Alternative: Dried Mango Powder – Aam choor – 2 tsps.

Crushed red chilies – ½ to 1 tsp.  Adjust to taste if you want more or less.

Salt – 1 tsp (heaped) – Adjust to taste if you want more.

Method:

1. In a frying pan, pour 3 tbsps. of oil and fry the chopped onions till they are translucent. Do not brown. Remove on a kitchen paper. Let them cool completely before use.
2. Mash the potatoes and add all spices, cooked onions and herbs to it. Mix and set aside for an hour.

Making Samosas:

1. Heat the griddle/ tava on the stove top. 
2. Mix 3 tbsp. of flour with 4-5 tbsp. of water. Make a thick paste. This will be used to bind the samosa crust together. Make more if needed.
3. Dust the working top with dry flour and roll out each dough ball in a round shape using a rolling pin. Flatten and stretch it like a chappati.
4. After dusting off the excess flour, put the chappati on the hot griddle. Cook both sides for 15-20 sec each enough to make it stable to handle. No need to cook it through. Remove from the stove and store in a hot pot like container so it stays warm and soft. Make all of the chappatis before beginning to stuff them.
5. Cut the chappatis in half. Each half will make one somosa.
6. Take half chapatti and apply flour paste at the straight edge and fold the sides together like an envelop. It will look like a cone.(See the photo.)
7. Stuff the cone with about 1 tbsp of filling. Do not over fill. Seal the open side with the flour paste. Hold it together till it is firmly sealed.  

These samosas can be made in advance and freeze well. Defrost and fry whenever needed.

Fry them in medium hot oil on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot.

Ingredients for Green Mango Chutney

Unripe mangoes – 2-3 medium sized (peeled, diced)

Fresh Mint – 1 cup

Fresh Coriander – 1 cup

Green Chilies – 2-3 (add more if you want it to be spicy)

Juice of 2 medium sized Lemons

Sugar – 2 tsp – heaped.

Salt – ½ tsp (adjust to taste).

Method: 

Blend everything together in a liquidizer with ¼ cup of water till it becomes a smooth paste. Check for the taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed.

Pottery by Blue Saint

www.thebluesaint.com

Allo ka Paratha - Potato stuffed buttered flat bread

Savory Allo walay Parathay, hot sweet milky tea and winter season have an unbreakable connection in my head. The reason possibly could be that while growing up in Pakistan that’s how it used to be in our household. Waking up late on Sunday mornings meant it was late for breakfast and early for Lunch but it was hard to ignore the grumbling tummy. Wintery Sundays called for potato stuffed buttered parathas for brunch served with shami kebabs or Pakistani style spicy omelet.  

In ammi’s household all parathas were prepared either with home churned white butter or with homemade desi ghee – clarified butter. As a little girl I remember watching my Nani – Maternal Grandmother prepare butter at home quite frequently. Half of the butter was made in to Ghee for later use while the fresh white butter was kept for immediate use. I loved devouring fresh rotis with a knob of freshly churned butter rubbed on them. The leftover buttermilk - Lassi was used to make pakora karri for lunch the same day.  Nothing went to waste.

I made some Potato stuffed parathas for brunch this weekend and served them with homemade shami kebabs and Mint chutney. Sharing the recipe.

Cooking Utensil : Griddle / Tava

Dough:

Wheat Flour – 2 cups

Salt – ½ tsp

Oil – 2 tbsps

Water – Enough to knead the dough

Knead the dough with hand or in a machine. Use water as needed. Let the dough rest for an hour before making parathas. This dough will make around 16 small dough balls to make 8 parathas.

Potato Filling:

Potatoes – 1 ½ kgs – Boiled /peeled

Onions – 2 medium (thinly chopped) plus 3 tbsps. oil for frying them.

Fresh Green Chilies – 2 Medium sized (thinly chopped)

Fresh Coriander – 1 cup – chopped

Fresh Mint – 1 cup - chopped

Roasted Cumin seeds 2 tsps. (heaped)

Roasted Coriander seeds – 3 tsp (heaped) (Crushed in pestle mortar)

Anaar Dana powder (Dried Pomegranate powder) – 2 tsps. / Alternative : Dried Mango Powder – Aam choor – 2 tsps.

Crushed red chilies – 1 tsp.  Adjust to taste if you want more.

Salt – 1 ½ tsp (heaped) – Adjust to taste if you want more.

Butter – 200 gms (Melted)

Method:

1. In a frying pan, take 3 tbsps. of oil and fry the chopped onions till translucent. Do not brown. Remove on a kitchen paper. Let them cool down.
2. Mash the potatoes and add all spices, cooked onions and herbs to it. Mix and set aside for an hour.
3. Put the griddle on the stove on the highest heat.
4. Make 16 balls of the dough. 2 balls will make one paratha.
5. Roll out 2 dough balls in to round flat bread at a time.
6. Remove excess flour from them.
7. Put 3-4 heaped tbsps. of mashed potatoes mixture on one rolled out dough. Use your fingers tips to spread the potatoes evenly, leaving about ½ inch from the corners.
8. Place the second rolled out flat bread dough on top of the stuffed one. You can lightly wet the corners of the stuffed dough by dipping you fingers in water. This helps the second flat bread to stick to the first one firmly, ensuring it does not open as it is cooked and flipped on the griddle.
9. Press the two rolled out flat breads dough together firmly with your hands and even the stuffing. Use a rolling pin to flatten them. The paratha will increase in size as you roll it.
10. Gently lift it in your hands and shed off excess flour. Flip it on the hot griddle on the highest heat.
11. Spoon around 2 -3 tbsp. melted butter on the top side and spread it. Wait for about a minute before flipping it over.
12. Butter the other side the same way and cook both sides till the paratha looks gently golden brown and crisp and the corners are completely cooked. Reduce the heat as you cook or the butter will burn and smoke the kitchen.
13. Remove the paratha from the griddle on to a kitchen paper. Cut them in 4 pieces if you want and serve hot with chutney and tea.
14. Wipe the griddle with a kitchen paper after making each paratha.

Allo Qeema - Potatoes & Minced meat curry

Ask any Pakistani about Allo Qeema and he/she will tell you with a delightful smile as how they have enjoyed eating allo qeema since their childhood either with flat bread, naan, rice, paratha or with toast. Everyone has their own preference as how to enjoy allo qeema. The delight allo qeema brings to the table can only be experienced on a Pakistani dinner table. Ammi always used minced goat meat to make this at home. Minced beef is used as well. The leftover qeema is stuffed between the layers of toasted bread and enjoyed in the lunchbox or as a snack or eaten with a paratha the next morning. 

I am happy to share this Pakistani recipe that usually has the highest approval rating from everyone at home. The other variations of this dish include pairing qeema with peas, fried bitter gourd, fried okra and French beans. I prefer to eat it with home made chappati - flat bread or Tandoori Naan. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Oil – 5 tbsp ( i use Sunflower oil)

Minced beef – 250 gms (you can use goat mince as well) Wash it in a sieve lined with chiffon cloth before use)

Potatoes – 2 medium sized (Medium diced)

Tomatoes – 1 cup pureed (fresh)

Onions – 1 cup (finely chopped)

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

Green chilies – 2 medium

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick – 2

Black Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 6-8

Whole Dried chili – 2-3

Chili powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt – ½ tsp (adjust according to taste)

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add onions and cook till they become translucent.
2. Add ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, whole dried chili, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamoms. Cook for a minute or so till the ginger garlic is cooked.
3. Add minced beef and cook on high heat till it changes color and water dries up. It will take around 10 mins.
4. Once the minced beef changes color, add tomato puree, chili powder, salt, turmeric powder and cumin powder. Mix thoroughly. Cook for 5 mins.
5. Add diced potatoes and green chilies (whole green chili for less heat, chopped for more heat).
6. Cook for 5 mins on high heat.
7. Add a cup (250 ml) of water to this mixture. Let it boil once and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan.
8. The potatoes should take 20-25 mins to cook. The water should dry up with very little juice in the pan which will look like gravy. The oil should separate from the gravy indicating the food has been cooked.
9. Dish out in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander. I love eating it with freshly made flat bred/chappati/roti.

Potato Cutlets

Potato cutlets were one of the first few things I learnt to prepare as a young teenager growing up in Pakistan. Of course it was ammi’s recipe which now has my input as well. These cutlets used to be part of my school lunchbox for the longest of time. It didn’t end there. While studying at a university in London, coming home late kind of became a norm. And these cutlets became a life saver for this hungry student. What more can a starving student ask for when the temperature outside is minus 4 degrees, the feet ache due to unending walk, the nose is red & runny due to the bitter cold. A warm potato cutlet sandwich with hot vegetable garden soup would save me too often. 

Believe it or not that even today, this particular item (potato cutlet sandwich) is part of my lunchbox at work almost daily. So you can imagine my unending love for these potato cutlets. This one is a treasured recipe.  I would also share another version of potato cutlets at some point in time which are filled with winter vegetables and a very special ingredient. The dried Fenugreek leaf/ Kasuri Methi is the magic ingredient here that transforms the boring potatoes in to a super star! My freezer is always well stocked with these cutlets and are regularly served with Pulao rice or curry. I enjoy eating them with a homemade chapatti - Flat bread and mint chutney.

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 1 ½ Kgs Boiled

Fresh Coriander – 1 ½ cup finely chopped

Fresh Mint – 1 cup finely chopped

Dried Fenugreek leaves /Kasuri Methi – 2 tsp heaped

Spring Onion – 1 Cup Finely Chopped 

Green Chilies – 3 medium sized (finally chopped)

Cumin seeds – 1 heaped tsp (partially crushed in Pestle & Mortar)

Whole Coriander seeds – 1heaped tsp (partially crushed in Pestle & Mortar)

Red Chilies – Crushed – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp heaped (adjust after the first mixing)

Bread crumbs – I prefer Japanese Bread crumbs

Egg – 1 

Oil - 3-4 Tbsps for frying.

Method:

1. Mash the warm potatoes either with hand or with a masher or in a stand mixer. I am using a stand mixer to mash the potatoes and to mix the ingredients. It saves time and dishes. Warm potatoes are mashed easily and well. Cold potatoes become jelly like hence hard to work with.
2. Once the potatoes are mashed add all spices, Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) and fresh ingredients one after another and mix thoroughly.
3. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before making the cutlets.
4. After 4 hours, beat the egg lightly and spread the bread crumbs in a plate/bowl. Heat 4-5 tbsp of oil in a frying pan for shallow frying the cutlets.
5. Once the mixture is chilled enough, make meatball sized balls and flatten it in to a cutlet. Make sure the edges are perfectly round like a burger Pattie.
6. Dip it in egg first and then the bread crumbs. I love using panko breadcrumbs (Also called Japanese breadcrumbs) as they give the cutlets a crispy outside with the soft gooey potatoes inside. Shallow fry them in a medium hot frying pan on both sides till golden brown.
7. Make one cutlet first and check for the salt and chili. If you are happy with it proceed further with more. Otherwise adjust the salt and spice according to your taste.

1 ½ kgs of potatoes will make around 30 cutlets. I make and freeze them in a covered box with layers of cling film in between. After 48 hours in the freezer, remove the cutlets from the box and seal them in a zip lock bag. Freeze again for future use.

The same potato mixture can be used to make allo walay parathay (Potato filled flat bread) or Potato filled Samosas.