Nepali food is said to be influenced from its neighbouring countries like India, Tibet and China. Unlike many popular dishes, a majority of food in this cuisine is healthy and cooked in less fat. The common dishes are lean curries, vegetables, salads, pickles, and curd. One such dish that can give a treat to your taste buds but is quite underrated is chukauni or what we can call as Nepali Yogurt Potato. Believe me, this side dish deserves much more attention.
We are talking about Chukauni which could be referred to as a potato and peas salad originating from Palpa, a western Nepali district. It is a very famous side dish in Nepal and can be served warm or cold. You may think that this side dish has mayonnaise but no, it is yogurt that makes it look tempting. Not only this amazing potato yogurt dish gets ready in no time, but also shows how rich Nepali cuisine is. Wanna know how to make this dish at home and feel the love and warmth? Here's what you have to do.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sized potatoes
- ½ cup red onion (sliced)
- ¾ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- 1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 3 green chilies (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ inch ginger (minced)
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp toasted ground sesame seed
- 1 tsp ground mustard seed
- 1 tbsp red chili powder
- ½ lemon juice
For tampering
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seed
- 2 tsp turmeric
Method
- In a deep pot combine all the ingredients together. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency.
- To tamper, heat oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds, let them turn dark brown. Be careful here, they go from dark brown to burnt in less than a minute. Take the pan off the heat and add your turmeric to the oil.
- Return to your potato mix and pour the oil over it. Squeeze lemon juice over the potatoes and mix thoroughly.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy it as a side with rice, flattened rice, roti, batuk, bara or even with bbq!
So, this sounds amazing. Isn't it? Try this recipe at home and tell us if you liked it.