Few years back , while in Kuwait, I was in a foul or rather destructive mood. So started destroying all kind of provisions in the fridge by cooking them at random with weird spice combo or vegetables. Most of them were just edible but not worth a repeat. However this recipe was born when I put some Amul cheese at random into a semi-bong style Alu -parmal dish. Since then it has not only survived but also flourished in many parties.
THE RECIPE . It is the usual rich alu patol dalna cooked with conventional ingredients like onion, tomato , garlic, ginger , cinnamon, cardamom bla bla; except that tomato is properly fried and cheese is completely melt and dispersed in the gravy. It will be a thick tacky gravy with awesome taste. One can use paneer, fried meat or chicken, fish in this gravy .
INGREDIENTS
patol ( parmal) 8 -10, peeled leaving alternate strip and cut to 3 pieces.
Potato 2 medium, peeled and cut to 1 inch cube
Tomato 2 small ( about 70-90 gms), sliced thin for fast frying and drying.
onion 1 medium ( about 21/2 inch diameter), chopped fine .
Garlic 3 cloves , smashed and chopped coarse.
Ginger chopped fine 1 level tbsp.
green chili 2 , chopped fine.
Cheese cube ( Amul in India or equivalent) 2 ( 25 gms each), chopped.
sugar 11/2 level tsp for taste ( not for sweetening)
Mustard oil ( or any other, 4 tbsp ) + oil needed for frying. potato or parmal. The leftover oil should be used up in the gravy)
spice for the gravy ( soak these spice in water to a paste for 15 minutes)
Red chili powder 1 to 2 level tsp
Turmeric powder 11/2 level tsp.
Coriander powder 1 heap tsp.
Cumin powder 1/2 level tsp
Spice for seasoning or tempering
Red chili dry 2
Bay leaf 1
cardamom 3 ( rupture the peel before putting in oil )
Clove 3
Cinnamon 2 inch broken to pieces.
Cumin seeds 1 level tsp
broken black pepper 8
Some of the ingredients with fried parmal and potato
Sprinkle little salt separately on parmal and potato , mix and keep aside for 15 minutes. (account for this salt while adding final salt).
Heat oil about 5 tbsp and fry the potato 1st and then fry the parmal in the same oil. ( no need for deep frying , but ensure that the cut-sides of each parmal piece are brown. This will give the famous fried parmal aroma). If you mind the oil, then drain the fried potato and parmal on kitchen paper. None of these picks up much oil while frying.
Add more oil to the used oil ( total about 4 tbsp) , heat and give seasoning.
Add chopped onion and saute to just about transparent ..add the chopped garlic and ginger , green chili after 2 minutes. Fry the onion to brown and immediately add 1 tbsp water ( to prevent burn out of onion ) and add the thinly sliced tomato.
Thinly sliced Tomato added
Add salt, the fried potatoes and the spice paste. Simmer and stir fry until oil separates.
Potato and spice paste added
Cover and simmer and stir occasionally. When the oil comes out and little water is left, the dish is ready .
You can eat with Rice, pulao, roti, puri or paratha
Finally
