Urulikazhungu Molagha Bhajee (Potato-Pepper Vegetable Curry)

I don't make potato curries very often. We're usually having either rice, flatbreads, or both if we're having curry for dinner, which pretty much fills the "starch" slot in my dinner plans. So, when I'm selecting which curries to make, I'm generally looking for something with lots of non-starchy veggies and/or protein in it and most potato curries do not fit those requirements. In this case though, I already had a bunch of other curries already made: lots of veggies and protein on hand already. I didn't really need any new curries at all. We already had plenty for dinner. But I had the time and the ingredients on hand, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to whip up one more. Just to have a little extra variety!

Urulikazhungu Molagha Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 tsp. canola (or other neutral) oil, divided
• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cut into French-fry strips
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1cm wide strips
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal/white lentils)
• 1 Tbsp. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick (~7cm long), broken into smaller pieces
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh or frozen curry leaves

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the potatoes, bell pepper, and curry leaves and stir-fry until potatoes begin to brown (~5 minutes).
3. Add water and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender (10-12 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the lentils, split peas, and cinnamon and cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
7. Transfer the spice mixture to a plate and allow to cool.
8. Once spices have cooled completely, transfer to a spice ginder and grind until the texture resembles ground black pepper.
9. Once the vegetables are tender, add the spices and lime juice.
10. Sprinkle with chopped curry leaves and serve.