Urulikazhangu Manjal Mullangi Kari (Potato-Carrot Curry)

We have A LOT of potatoes right now. I got a 5kg bag because they were on sale for $2, but then I forgot to adjust our produce baskets for the last few weeks and they also came with a kilo of potatoes each. So now we are kind of drowning in potatoes. So I'm trying to use them up. Unfortunately I've been very tired this week and not feeling up to much cooking. So all I've managed to do with them so far is this one potato curry. It was pretty good though. Not one of my favourites, but tasty enough. And the Kidlet loved it, so that was nice.

Urulikazhangu Manjal Mullangi Kari

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cut into 5cm cubes
• 3 carrots, cut into French fry strips (~5cm by 0.5cm by 0.5cm)
• 1 1/2-2 c. water, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1-3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut or 1/2 c. shredded dried unsweetened coconut, rehydrated¹

Directions

1. Heat canola oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
3. Add the lentils and cook until lightly browned (15-30 seconds).
4. Add the potatoes and carrots.
5. Add 1 c. of the water, salt, turmeric, and curry leaves and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (~15 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat.
8. Add the coriander, fenugreek, and chilies and roast for 1-2 minutes.
9. Transfer roasted spices and oil to a blender jar.
10. Add the coconut to the blender jar as well. If using reconstituted dried coconut, add the coconut along with its soaking liquid.
11. If using fresh coconut, add up to 1/2 c. of water. (However much you need to make it blendable.)
12. Purée until smooth.
13. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the contents of the blender to them.
14. Add a bit more water (up to an additional 1/2 c.) to the blender jar and swish it out. Add these blender washings to the potatoes as well.
15. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (~8 minutes).

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¹ To rehydrate dried coconut, pour 1/2 c. of boiling water over it and let it stand for 15 minutes. Normally you would then need to drain it. But since this recipe calls for adding to the blender with some water anyway, I didn't bother draining it and just left out the water. ^Back