Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Batate Vaagu (Spicy Potato Curry)

Batate Vaagu is a very popular Konkani dish. In konkani, Batato means Potato and Vaagu means Tiger. This dish is very spicy and hence it might have got the name Batate vaagu:-)
This dish is commonly made for special occasions like wedding, thread ceremony etc as it is no-garlic and onion dish. I tried making it for the first time and loved the taste (though it was little bit spicy for us). Try making this dish and enjoy!
While clicking its photo my husband suggested to keep one book near it. The title of the book said- The Tiger That Isn't. An apt suggestion from him:-)



Ingredients:
  • Potato, medium sized- 2
  • Tomato, big sized- 1
  • Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 2-3 Tbsp
  • Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
  • Roasted red chillies- 4
  • Oil- 1-2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves- Few
  • Salt- To taste
Procedure:

Wash potatoes and tomato. Then chop them into bite size cubes.



To prepare Masala: Roast the coriander seeds with few drops of oil until it turns light brown. Allow it to cool. Then grind grated coconut, roasted red chillies along with roasted coriander seeds, to get a fine paste. Add water as required while grinding.
Now heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves. Then add chopped potatoes.



Sprinkle some salt and saute it fro 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Then add chopped tomatoes.



Mix it well. Continue frying for two more minutes. Then add the ground masala.



Mix it well. Then add water (nearly a cup or adjust accordingly) and check for salt.



Close it with a lid. Continue heating until the potatoes get cooked. The final consistency should be thick but not dry. Batate Vaagu is ready!!



Serve it hot with rice, roti, dosa. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

Note: #You can try adding little bit of Asafoetida to the masala.
#If the dish has turned out spicy then try adding little bit of tamarind. This will balance the spiciness.
#You can also cook the potato separately, in a cooker or Microwave. In that case add the potatoes at the end (after the masala comes to a boil). This method saves time.
#One of my readers suggested to garnish it with coriander leaves.

10 comments :

  1. Lovely dish...and the book is apt indeed :). It reminds me of Batata Saung (or Song). My mom, however, makes Saung with onions and tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Vinita..ya even i make song as you mentioned. Even this tastes good. You can also try adding onion to this..

      Delete
  2. It should go well with puris too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I cooked this today 😊👍 awesome taste thank you. Added hing as well n mixed the potatoes at the end.

    ReplyDelete
  4. it also tastes very good if prepared with cauliflower and potato. here you have to try the cauliflower a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cont to my previous comment...correction. you have to fru the cauliflower a bit

    ReplyDelete