(STEAMED POTATOES)
Steaming the potatoes in banana leaves adds a smoky, musky aroma and gives a new twist to this all-time favourite vegetable, which is prepared in myriad ways in the Bengali kitchen.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 persons
1½ kg potatoes
2–3 whole red chillies
5 gm mustard paste
50 gm curd
3 gm turmeric powder
5 gm green chilli paste
2 ml lime juice
50 ml mustard oil
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
1. |
Peel the potatoes and scoop with a melon-baller into small balls. |
2. |
Parboil the balls in 200 ml of water, adding half a tsp of salt and a dash of turmeric water. Drain and keep covered. |
3. |
Heat one-third of the mustard oil in a pan and temper with dry chillies. As it starts to splutter, add the potatoes and cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8 minutes. |
4. |
In a bowl, add mustard paste, curd, turmeric powder, green chilli paste, lime juice, and mustard oil, and mix well. |
5. |
Add the potatoes and keep for 30 minutes. |
6. |
To steam, place the prepared potatoes over a banana leaf on a plate and cover with another leaf. Steam for 6 to 8 minutes and serve. |