A dish being cooked in several Ranchi households right now fools most people into thinking it is egg curry, even though it is a completely vegetarian preparation. The recipe is built around small potatoes that sell for around ₹10 a kilo, and it comes close to matching egg curry in flavour as well.
How the Potatoes Get Their Egg-Like Look
According to Ranchi homemaker Nilima, the first step is picking out only very small potatoes from the market, larger ones simply will not work for this dish. These small potatoes are boiled first, then peeled and deep fried. Once fried, they end up looking almost identical to boiled eggs, which is exactly why the finished curry is mistaken for egg curry at first glance.
Making the Spice Mix
Once the potatoes are fried, the next step is preparing the spice paste. This calls for two onions, one tomato, turmeric, coriander, black pepper powder, bay leaf, a little meat masala and half a teaspoon of chicken masala. Chillies are added according to taste. All of these ingredients are ground together into a thick paste, which is what gives the dish its deep, egg curry like colour and flavour.
Cooking the Gravy
The ground spice paste is fried in mustard oil, but before that a tempering of cumin, fenugreek seeds and bay leaf is added to the hot oil. The paste is then cooked until it starts releasing oil on its own. Once it does, water is added, with the quantity depending on how thick or thin the gravy needs to be. One or two of the boiled potatoes are mashed and stirred into this gravy, which naturally thickens it and boosts the flavour. Salt is added to taste at this stage as well. The potatoes that were fried earlier are then dropped into the gravy, and the pot is covered and left to cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Finally, the flame is turned off and the dish is garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Tips to Get the Consistency Right
One thing to watch closely while preparing this dish is that the potatoes should not break apart completely, since a curry made with fully broken potatoes turns overly thick and loses its appeal. That is why only one or two potatoes are mashed in deliberately, keeping the gravy's consistency just right. Anyone looking to push the flavour further can mix a teaspoon of curd with dry spices and add it while the onions and tomatoes are being sautéed. A spoon of malai or cream stirred in after the dish is taken off the heat also lifts the taste noticeably.
