Chatpata Achari Aloo : One of my best finds, roopak ka achari masala

"After a good dinner one can have the best sleep possible"

For the chatkhor that iam, anything achari has always fascinated me, iam myself not a big achar fan, but love adding achar to my parathas mixture and sabzis. Mumma makes awesome achaars and i always rely on them for that extra tang in my sabzis.. or the paratha. But on my latest trip to delhi , remember my roopak masale adventure here, i picked some awesome looking achari masala. I could not wait to try it. My favorite achari sabzis are achari aloo and achari mushrooms. Oh and the baingan, ok forget it, i love all d veggies, the achaari way.

We went for the Sunday Soul Sante yesterday, we were dead tired by the time we got back but were definitely not in a mood to have ordered food. Yeah iam weird like that, on days when i should really order i would get into cooking, and when i should cook, i would be ordering! So on such days we tend to say, 'Kuch simple khana hai , daal chawal types' (want to have some comfort food in short), and when i went ahead to get the stuff for the tadka (tempering), i eyed the potatoes and i decided to make some Achaari aloo. What a decision. Loved the creation, would love to recreate it often. 

Achaari Aloo

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

3 potatoes, cut the way you want, i cut it in long pieces

1 big onion, cut lengthwise, into thin slices.

1 medium/ big tomato skin peeled and cut lengthwise

1 inch ginger and 5-6 cloves of garlic finely chopped and crushed in a mortar pestle. 

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 big green chilli slit into half

2 tsp of roopak achaari masala or 1 tsp of any aam ka achar ka masala or 2 tsp to a mix of (red chilly powder , fennel seeds(saunf), onion seeds(kalonji), 2 pinch amchoor, roasted cumin powder, roasted coriander powder)

3 tbsp Mustard oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

 Method

1. Heat the mustard oil in a kadhai / pan (tip by a fren : if using mustard oil, let it fume up before adding anything, so that it gets rid of the bitter smell/taste)

2. Once the oil is ready, add a tsp of salt at this stage, it makes the potatoes more flavorful(read this tip in the secrets of d perfect masala aloo by nandita of saffrontrail, have been following it ever since and love the idea, it gives the potatoes a totally new dimension )

3. add the potatoes, and fry them till most of them are golden brown to slightly brown, approx 5-7 minutes, i do it in almost high flame, stirring continuously, you can also do it in medium high to avoid burning.

4. Once the potatoes are fried well, add the onions and green chilli and fry for 2 minutes, in the same heat, till golden brown, or less, as you ill let it fry again while the ginger garlic fries.

5. Now add the ginger garlic and fry for another minute, lower the heat if required, if stirring continuously, it may not be required.

6. Now add all the masalas. And Stir well. Let it fry for a minute or half, and then add the tomatoes.

7. Cover it with a lid and lower the heat and cook it for 5-10 minutes, you may want to add a little more oil if required. 

8. Taste it, and as per your taste, add some more achaari masala if required. If not using achaari masala, add a little more achar ka masala, or just try adjusting the red chilli and amchoor. Mostly the above measurements will suit most of the palettes.  

9. Switch off the heat, and let it stay covered. 

10. I paired it with chawal and dal, you may pair it with some paratha and dal or plain phulkas.   

If you are not using an achaar ka masala or an achaari masala powder, Sanjeev kapoors recipe for achari aloo lists out all the elements of achari aloo really well.