Potatoes are everywhere. From aloo ke parathe in breakfast to aloo tamatar ki sabzi for lunch and french fries for snacks – potatoes have hijacked our meals and rightfully so. It is one of the most versatile ingredients to cook anything you want, from a curry to a halwa. It goes well with most other vegetables and is extensively used in cuisines all over India. But if you think you have tried everyting made of potatoes, let me introduce you to a chutney made of potatoes!
The spicy and tangy Gorkha chutney is a Nepalese delicacy made with potatoes and tamarind or dahi. I got introduced to this hidden gem in an elaborate Diwali dinner at my friend’s place. The dinner table was filled with delicacies like biryani, dal makhani, paneer, gulab jamun and kheer. But the poor little bowl of what looked like a spicy potato salad was left ignored. I took a spoonful of it out of courtesy for food but a very delicious surprise awaited me. It was unlike any potato dish I had had before and I was compelled to ask my friend’s mother what exactly this delicacy was that made me practically ignore my one true love – kadhai panner! She said this was the Gorkhali aaloo or Gorkhali chutney that she learnt to make from one of her husband’s colleagues in the army. By the end of the dinner, I had finished 3 servings of the chutney and successfully ignored everything else on that table. I just knew I had to cook my own Gorkhali chutney. So, after asking for a recipe from Aunty and watching the few videos available on the internet, I tried to replicate it. You can be the judge of how good the attempt turned out to be, because I am sharing the recipe right below.
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ cup tamarind pulp
- 1 tomato
- 1 onion
- 3-4 green chillies
- 2-3 red chillies
- Salt to taste
Method
- Boil the potatoes and cut them into small cubes.
- Dry roast sesame and coriander seeds with red chilli and make a thick paste by adding a little water.
- Now, heat up the oil and add slit green chillies and fenufreek seeds.
- Fry till the fenugreek seeds turn brown.
- Cut the tomato and onion into small pieces.
- Take a large mixing bowl and add the sesame paste, fenugreek seeds, tamarind pulp and the diced vegetables. Add salt as required.
- Mix everything together and serve along with the main course as an accompaniment.
If you want your chutney to be even more tangy, add a few drops of lemon juice. You can also add curd instead of tamarind. Gorkhali chutney is an easy to make, super delicious dish that every foodie must try. Serve it with Sel Roti, a Nepalese bread or with your regular chapati. Who knows, this chutney might eventually turn out to be the standout factor of our run-of-the-mill dinner party!