Moghalai Aloo aur Simla Mirch (Imperial Potatoes with Bell Peppers)

This was a last minute addition to last night's dinner. I'd already made an egg curry for protein and a spinach curry for the vegetable component. We were just going to have rice as the starch/substrate and call it a day. But looking at the spread, I felt like it wasn't going to be substantial enough. I think some sort of legume curry probably would've been ideal. But I already had a short list of potato curries easily to hand so I went with that instead. And I gotta say, this was really tasty!

Balti masala is one of my favourite spice mixes. Including that along with cashews, raisins, and a bunch of whole, oil-roasted spices is an almost certain recipe for success! And the inclusion of two different colours of bell peppers makes it look very vibrant and fun.

Moghalai aloo aur simla mirch (right), pictured with palak papad ki subzi (bottom), and muttai kari (left), with a bit of rice at the top.

Moghalai Aloo aur Simla Mirch

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 (3") cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves (Indian or bay laurel)
• 1 small red onion, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. golden raisins or sultanas
• 450g russet or (other floury) potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 bell peppers, any colour, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. (or a bit more) Balti Masala
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne powder

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves and cook for 15-30 seconds.
3. Add the onion, cashews, and raisins and cook until onion begins to brown (~3 minutes).
4. Add the potatoes, bell peppers, water, salt, and turmeric and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (12-15 minutes).
6. Stir in cilantro, balti masala, and cayenne and serve.