Spicy Potato~Soya Chunks Ghee Roast.

“Spicy Potato~Soya Chunks Ghee Roast” ….. A delicious, aromatic and classic mouthwatering dish which not only looks fiery red and hot but tastes also spicy and wonderful. This dish tastes best when served with panpolo (neer dosa), but tastes equally good with Idly, paratha, pulav too ….. Yumz …..

** Ghee Roast is actually a coastal dish that originated from the kitchens of Kundapura a well known city from Karnataka State decades ago. The dish is very famous amongst non vegetarian eaters as it was first prepared with chicken and the rest followed in there after. The best of all till date is when prepared with chicken, coz. the chicken imparts its own juice into the dish as it is getting cooked, which in turn gives the lift to the dish with an awesome aroma. I have already posted a year back my own way of preparing ghee roast where I used chicken and again with eggs with a slight twist. Ghee roast as the name itself suggest is that dish where in you roast the masala in ghee along with other ingredients till done. The process is slow cooking and the aroma of ghee infused dish turns out really awesome. A little bit heavier on calories and is avoided by most health conscious people including me. Though I am not a hard and fast strict follower of diet therapy, I am hesitant in relishing this dish that is loaded with ghee and in all I might have eaten it twice or thrice in the restaurant till now. 

** That does not mean I do not like the dish or I do not relish it, I do, I am all for enjoying yummy dishes always. But, I must confess here that by and large I have stopped going out on food outings now as I am not at all sure of either the oil used nor the ghee. I have always found out that my next day after such dinner dates are always spent uncomfortably by my tummy grumbling or often sending irritating pains. So, now I always prefer preparing these types of dishes at home in my own method as I really have no knowledge of what exactly is added in the dish. But the outcome of the dish is very close to the one’s I have relished before in restaurants and that’s good enough for me. Above all the most important thing is I get to cheat on addition of ghee, I can add in almost half of the amount of ghee and all I have to do is keep a keen watch on the dish as it gets cook and keep stirring often and maybe sprinkle a little bit of water in between to avoid masala getting burnt. Now that is the best part for all health conscious people like me, Isn't it ?? 

** Here is My Method of preparing “Spicy Potato~Soya Chunks Ghee Roast” … My Style … 

** Ingredients : 

Potatoes / Batata / Aloo : 2 large sized 

Soya Chunks : 20 large round chunks (store bought)

Onion / Piyav / Kanda : 2 small sized cut finely + 2 large sized cut into 1 inch sized cubes. 

Ghee : 4-5 tblsp 

Curry Leaves / Kadipatta / Curry Leaves : 8-10 fresh ones 

Salt to taste 

** For Ground Masala : 

Coconut : 3 tblsp freshly grated. 

Garlic : 2-3 peeled and cut into pieces. 

Methi / Fenugreek Seeds : ¼ tsp 

Black Pepper corns / Miri : ½ tsp 

Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder : 4 tblsp heaped

Coriander / Dhania / Kothimbir Powder : 1 tblsp 

Jeera / Cumin Powder : 1 tsp 

Fennel / Saunf / Badisep Powder : ½ tsp 

Garam Masala Powder : 1/2 tsp (Optional) I have not added. 

Tamarind : one large lemon sized ball. 

** Wash and put the potatoes in pressure cooker with sufficient water and pressure cook to 3 whistles. Let the pressure drop on it own. Open and allow the potatoes to cool by dropping them in cold water. Peel off the outer skin and cut them into 1 inch sized cubes. Keep this ready aside. 

** Soak soya chunks in hot water with a dash of salt for about 20 minutes. Drain of the water and rinse under running water. Squeeze out the water as much as possible and keep this ready aside. 

** For Ground Masala : Add all the ingredients given under the list of masala in a mixer grinder and grind to a smooth paste with little bit of water. Do not add in more water nor make the paste too thin. The paste should be of medium thick consistency as the curry needs to cooked in the same masala. Remove and keep this ready aside. 

** Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed kadai, when hot, lower the heat to medium and add in a pinch of red chilly powder and then the soya chunks kept ready aside. Stir them on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, they will get nicely fried all round. Now remove taking care to see that you drain off the excess ghee into the kadai and keep it in a plate aside to be added later on. 

** Now in the same kadai, check to see that there is enough ghee and add in the finely chopped 2 onions and fry till it turns light brown in color. Keep stirring to evenly brown them or else some onion pieces will get burnt prior to all getting evenly browned. Now add in the other two onions cut into cubes and continue frying till the onions turns translucent. 

** Add in the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds, then add in the ground masala and mix well. Keep stirring and cooking the masala till it is well roasted and cooked. Now add in a cup of water, salt to taste and mix well. Finally add in the prepared and kept aside cooked potatoes and the fried and kept aside soya chunks and mix well. Cook covered on slow fire till you see bubbles appearing on top. 

** You can add in some water or sprinkle some from time to time as the curry gets cooked and settled. Simmer the curry for a good 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid the curry getting stuck to the sides and bottom. The curry begins to thicken as soya chunks will start soaking in the gravy and potatoes too will thicken the curry. Check consistency and remove from fire. Done.

** “Spicy Potato~Soya Chunks Ghee Roast” is done and ready to be served. This is a very spicy semi thick curry that goes very well as a side dish with paratha, naan, roti, poori etc. But goes well with dosa or Idly too. I served them with Urad dal~rice khotto for lunch and it was an awesome combo. Do try this dish out and enjoy with your family and friends. 

** Note : I have added in Kashmiri red chilly which is slightly milder in spice level than other chilly powders. This dish is supposed to be very spicy, but also depends on individual spice tolerance. You can add or cut down on the spice level as per your family taste. Again remember that onions impart sweetness so a little bit spice level has to be maintained to get the desired taste to the dish. 

** Note : Do not worry that the tamarind added on is too much, the spice level in the curry absorbs and compliments the curry well with addition of tamarind in slightly larger quantity. This curry does need that tanginess to impart and combine the dish well and to absorb the spice level. I will suggest you to try this dish with tamarind and not with any other ingredient to add in the tanginess as somehow addition of tart veggies does not give the curry the taste.

** Note : A Little bit About Addition of Ghee : This curry as the name is has to be cooked in ghee itself, so do not try preparing it with oil, the taste will not be achieved. Again unlike the new trend of ban ghee items, Ayurveda always suggest relishing ghee in limited quantities. Ghee is really considered to be good for health. I have added about 4 tblsp full ghee only for the curry and prepared the dish carefully keeping a keen eye on the cooking process to avoid the curry getting burnt at the bottom.

** Again,  I have added in a cup of water before addition of soya and potatoes as I did not wish the curry to be prepared with the addition of more ghee. However, you can increase the amount of ghee by about another 2-3 tblsp, if you like and avoid adding in water for the curry, which sure is going to increase the taste level, but so will the calories level be. The choice is yours. If you are lucky and need not bother about calories, then go ahead and enjoy the curry with addition of extra ghee. 

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