Degchi aloo….Mom’s special!!

A Degchi is one of the most commonly used utensils in an Indian kitchen.It is basically a deep, round saucepan without handles. It is also known as batloi. A Degchi is usually made from stainless steel, aluminium or brass and has a thick bottom to prevent food from burning and to ensure even distribution of heat while cooking. These days it is also available in non-stick coated versions.

Degchi aloo/Batloi aloo is my mom’s special recipe. She prepares this in batloi or degchi made of brass.The stuffed potatoes are cooked in slow flame for about an hour.

Hope you will enjoy the aroma & flavour of this exotic recipe..Happy Cooking!!

Ingredients

Medium sized potatoes 6 (with skin)

Onion 4 finely chopped

Garlic 3-4 cloves

Dhania powder/Coriander powder  3 tablespoon

Red chilli powder 2 tsp

Green chillies 1-2 (optional)

Salt 2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Bay leaves / Tej patta 2

Dalchini (cinnamon stick) 1

Black pepper (whole) 2-3

Clove 2-3

Amchur powder/dried raw mango powder 3/4 tsp

Coriander leaves chopped one Tablespoon

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil 4 Tablespoon

Method

Wash potatoes thoroughly, dry them with a cloth.

Slit the potatoes with the knife halfway both horizontally & vertically so as to create space for stuffing. Keep them aside.

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Chop the onions finely. To this add finely chopped garlic, green chillies, & coriander.

Now add salt, turmeric powder, dhania powder and red chilli powder. Mix well.

Stuff the potatoes with the onion mixture carefully so that the slit does not open till end. Keep the remaining onion mixture aside.

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Heat oil in the degchi till the smoking point. Now add  cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter. Add black pepper, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Now add the onion mixture to the degchi.

Carefully place the stuffed potatoes over this onion mixture. Cover the degchi with a lid,  pour some water over the lid and place a heavy weight over the lid so that the steam does not come out.

Cook the potatoes in slow flame. Stir lightly after five minutes so as to change the position of potatoes upside down. Close the lid again. Repeat the procedure after every 5 -7 minutes, till the potatoes are done.

It usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour to cook this vegetable (depending upon the quality, quantity and size of the potatoes) as it is cooked in slow flame.

When the vegetable is cooked, it turns dark brown in colour. Add amchur powder to it and stir lightly.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with parantha or stuffed kulcha and raita.

Serves 3

P.S. If you don’t have a degchi, you can use any heavy bottom vessel or a pressure cooker pan for making this vegetable.