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| Alu fulkopir dalna |
Come winter and didu, my maternal grandmother who lives in Kolkata, gets very excited about the winter vegetables that flood the market.
Cauliflower is a favourite of hers. Green peas too. She puts these into fish curries. Or makes a vegetable curry with potatoes, cauliflower and green peas. If the curry is runny, she calls it a jhol. When slightly thicker, a dalna. The latter is had with rotis, while the more saucy one could go with rice too. She also does a simple stir fry with cauliflowers and nigella seeds (kalo jeere). At times she adds some finely chopped onions too. At times cubed potatoes go in too. Didu loves potatoes.
I live in Mumbai, a city which hardly has a winter (thought there is a mild nip in the air these days). We get cauliflowers through the year. Green peas and potatoes too.
Still, since it is December, I decided to make a potato and cauliflower curry of the sort that would be made in my granny’s house. I had never made this before. I did not have a recipe to be honest. I cooked it the way I do my fish kaalia. It smelt the way the curries do in didu’s house. I put some in K’s office dabba too. She loved it too. Requested it to be made once again. I really enjoyed it as well.
Many asked me for the recipe when I posted the picture on Instagram. Which is why I thought I will write it here. I have no idea how ‘authentic’ this is or whether this is how didu makes it. If you still want it, read on. What I can assure you, is that it tasted good.
Alu fulkopir dalna (for 2)
- Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil or mustard oil if you want
- Add 1/2 a teaspoon of whole cumin, a bay leaf (tej paata), 1 dry red chilli and green chilli
- Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions
- Once this turns translucent, add 1/2 a teaspoon of ginger paste and 1/4 teaspoon garlic paste
- Add cauliflower, potato, peas
- Add spices and stir
- Add water and salt. Add a small bowl if you want it to by on the drier side. Or more.
- Let the water come to a boil and then reduce flame and let it cook for 5 to ten min
- Add some coarsely ground cinnamon, cardamom and clove at the end and a a few drops of ghee if you want. I like to add the Jharna brand of ghee from Kolkata. Skip the ghee and it is vegan.
