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In the course of its exciting culinary journey, this blog has travelled far and wide across India, exploring regions that are known to use the scintillating flavour of cold-pressed Mustard Oil in many different ways. Today, we will travel to a region that has been using Mustard Oil for thousands of years – the lush, verdant state of Assam.
The dish that we are making today is a spicy traditional egg and potato curry from Assam, a preparation that finds pride of place in traditional Assamese Thaalis and is also cooked lovingly to mark special celebratory occasions. This warm and welcoming dish is called Aloo Konir Dom.
So let’s get started. Here are the ingredients that you will require.
Ingredients:
Eggs: 4
Potatoes: 5
Onions: 2
Tomatoes: 2
Green Chillies: 3
Dry Red Chillies: 3
Mustard Oil: 4 tablespoons
Ginger-Garlic Paste: 2 tablespoons
Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 2 tablespoons
Coriander (Dhania) Powder: 1 tablespoon
Bay Leaves (Tej Patta): 2
Cinnamon (Dalchini): 1 one-inch piece
Cardamoms (Elaichi): 2
Cloves (Laung): 4
Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Cumin (Jeera) Powder: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: 2 teaspoons
Salt: to taste
The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.
In Assam, this dish is often made with duck eggs which have a richer flavour and texture. However, you can easily make it with regular chicken eggs.
Preparation:
Boil the eggs and peel them.
Peel, wash and cut the potatoes into quarters.
Peel, wash and finely chop the onions.
Cut the tomatoes into slices.
Slit the green chillies lengthwise.
Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.
Remove the cardamom seeds from their pods and discard the pods. Only the seeds will be used.
Put the boiled eggs and potato pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle one teaspoon of turmeric powder and a large pinch of salt over the top of the eggs and potatoes. Keep aside for around 15 minutes.
Method:
Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame. Wait for the oil to reach its smoking point. When this happens, streams of aromatic white smoke will rise from the pan. Reduce the flame to Medium.
Add the potato pieces to the pan and fry till they turn golden brown in colour. Next, add the boiled eggs and fry till they take on a yellowish colour. Then remove the eggs and the potato pieces from the pan and keep aside.
To the same pan, add the bay leaves, cinnamon, dry red chillies, cumin seeds, cardamom seeds and cloves. Stir and sauté till the spices begin to splutter. Then add the onions and sauté till the onion pieces take on a golden brown colour.
Now add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies, and sauté till the onion pieces turn medium brown in colour.
Next, add the tomato slices and sauté for a minute or so. Then add the coriander powder, cumin powder and the remaining teaspoon of turmeric powder. Stir to mix the spices well. If the mixture is too dry and the spice powders start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little water – just a couple of tablespoons should be enough.
Now add the fried potatoes and stir to mix the potato pieces with the spices. Continue to sauté for another couple of minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Also, you can add more water to ensure that the consistency of the gravy is according to your preference.
Add the eggs and turn the flame up to High. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the flame to Low. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the contents to simmer till the potato pieces become soft. Then turn the flame off.
Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Your traditional Assamese Aloo Konir Dom is now ready. Serve it hot with plain steamed rice – that’s the way it is relished in Assam.
You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/
