Batato- Piyava Songa/ Spicy Potato- Onion Bhaji.

“Batato- Piyava Songa (Potato- Onion Spicy Curry)” … batate songa is a spicy side dish curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine loved by almost everybody … in my home we love to relish it with shevai/ Idiyappam from childhood ... it's one of the best combination to date …  ... Yummilicious …

** “Songa” is a spicy GSB Konkani Saraswat dish that can be prepared in various combinations both in Veg and Non.Veg. ways. This is a dish with little masala that is very spicy and can be prepared both with addition of ground masala or using just powders. I have always added in a little bit of freshly grated coconut while grinding the masala to get a better and thicker consistency to the masala and it tastes delicious too and that is exactly the way it is preferred in my home. For this recipe too I have added on ground masala as usual and I must say it tastes wonderful.

** Addition of tangy taste is necessary and traditionally it’s always prepared adding tamarind while grinding masala and I must say that it gives best taste to this dish. However, any veggie with tart/ tangy/ amshe of taste can be substituted and added to the curry. Often Hogplums (Ambado)/ Star Fruit (Karmbala)/ Tree Sorrel fruit (Bimbul) depending on its availability is added in place of tamarind to curries, however this particular dish tastes best with tamarind, nevertheless you can add them on if preferred. 

** Here is my recipe for “Batato- Piyava Songa (Potato- Onion Spicy Curry)” … which I learned from my Amma ….

** Ingredients :

Onion/ Piyavu/ Kanda : 2-3 medium sized

Batato/ Potato/ aloo : 2- 3 medium sized

Mustard Seeds/ Rai/ Sasam : 1 tsp

Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 10-12 fresh ones.

Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 2 tsp.

Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste.

** For Masala to be Ground :

Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : ¼ cup freshly grated.

Kashmiri Red Chillies/ Kumte Mirsanga/ Byadgi Mirchi : 15-20

Coriander/ Kothimbir/ Dhania Seeds : 2- 3 tsp.

Tamarind/ Chinchama/ Imly : a small pinch.

Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 2 tsp.

** Peel off the outer skin of onions and cut them into cubes of say about 1 inch in size and keep them ready aside. 

** Peel off the outer skin of the potatoes and cut them into cubes of say about 2 inches in size and put them in pressure cooker pan with about one cup of water and pressure cook on medium heat to one whistle only. 

** Remove and keep it aside to cool for about 2- 3 minutes only, after which release the pressure from the cooker with the help of tongs, this arrests further cooking of potatoes and remain perfect cooked as needed.

** Note : I use this pressure cooker cooking method which never fails me in cooking potatoes to perfection. If left to cool completely on its own it may overcook and turn mushy, so avoid that, if unsure of following this method you can always cook the same in a vessel adding water till done and added on too. 

** For the Ground Masala : Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai, when hot add in the coriander seeds and fry on medium heat till the color changes, do not burn them, now add in the dry red chillies and fry on low heat for about 3-4 minutes.

** Add the fried masala along with grated coconut and tamarind and grind to a smooth paste with as little water as possible. We need to keep water minimum to avoid the curry turning runny, as this is a semi dry curry served as side dish.

** In a thick bottomed kadai/ pan add in the oil, when hot add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add in curry leaves, fry for a few seconds, then add the cut onions, ½ tsp of salt and fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

** Sprinkle some water, cover with a tight lid and cook until onions are done say about 2-3 minutes, stirring in between if necessary to avoid onions being burnt. Add in the ground masala, salt to taste and mix well, fry for a few minutes and then add cooked potatoes along with the water in which it is cooked and mix well.

** Once again cover and cook on medium heat for a minute or two, then lower the heat to minimum, check and add in water only if necessary and cook covered for 5-10 minutes on until you see bubbles appearing on surface of the curry.

** Remove and keep it aside covered for 20 minutes for the flavors to be infused well. This is a thick textured side dish curry served with dal- chawal or roti’s. However it does thicken out in settling, in which case you can mix some hot water before serving.

** “Batato- Piyava Songa (Potato- Onion Spicy Curry)” is done and ready to be served as side dish during lunchtime. Songa is a spicy dish usually served with Dalitoy (spiced tuvar dal)- Rice or Roti/ Chapathi/ panpolo (neer dosa)/ plain dosa/ Idly or any combo dishes of your choice, tastes great anyway you serve it. In my home and also in most of Konkani Saraswat homes, whenever we prepare shevai/ Idiyappam, we always prepare songa as it is one of our favorite combo meal. If you too, want to serve it with shevai/ string hoppers like how I do in my home, keep it slightly thinner in texture by adding a little bit of more ground masala and it tastes wonderful. 

** Do try out this delicious recipe and enjoy with your family and friends. Do remember to leave a comment below or send me an email, It really helps in knowing if you have liked the same and encourages doing more. If you have any queries, too you may leave in a comment or a mail and I will try my best to respond as soon as possible.

** A little bit about Seasoning/ Tempering/ Panna/ Tadka : There are two methods of seasoning/ tempering followed in preparation of this songa recipe, you may choose any you like. One is as mentioned in recipe, the other is to prepare the curry and end it with seasoning. Just fry onions in little bit of oil, then follow rest of the recipe as above and when done temper with oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves. Each home has their own method followed, both give same results, so chose any easier to you. I use both methods depending which one is convenient on that day.

** Note : Hogplums (Ambado)/ Star Fruit (Karmbala)/ Tree Sorrel (Bimbul)/ Kokum etc. tard fruits can be substituted instead of tamarind for this curry if they are available, in which case cook them along when the masala is added and then add the cooked potatoes while rest of the recipe remains same. Remember to skip adding tamarind to the masala while grinding in that case. Again, You have a choice of adding only tomatoes either raw or ripe, too if you prefer them, Just add on how much is necessary and skip addition of tamarind in this case too.