My first introduction to 'tandoori aloo' was not with an aloo exactly made in a tandoor. It was made in the most rustic manner possible and I still love that more than the ones we have now. When I was pretty young - about 8yrs. - one of my Father's friend who owned a huge farm house had invited us over. My cousins were visiting us and we were about six of us (I think). We were picked up in the morning and taken for a tour over the place, and I remember how much we enjoyed looking at the cows being scrubbed and bathed, the hens clucking in their large pens, the huge boulder sized cauliflowers adorning one stretch, and the tendrils from the bean vines that reminded me then of knotted telephone cords, and now of curls on the sides! Uncle had obviously nurtured the farm with love and care which reflected in the spacious barns, and the cattle shed - those days cow rearing was still not an industry or a factory! Animals in tabelas were taken care of well, and I have seen that it is so even now in some places and that really makes me feel good!
We were bushed after seeing only half the place as the farm was a big one. When we neared the lawn all of us just flopped down longingly on the soothing green grass which was so much more inviting than chairs! We had seen a huge pile of 'just dug out' baby potatoes stacked in one barn but little did we know that it was to be our energizer along with lassi! When two of the helpers arrived with vessels (not plates) piled with smoked baby potatoes, and two generous bowls of green chutney I remember that someone among us even commented - "Will this be good? Do you think we will be full with this?" I am sure that person had to eat his/her words that day! We gulped them down quickly and then followed it up with one or two more such stacks!! That is what good weather, good surroundings, nature and tandoori aloo can do - whet your appetite!
How did they make it? (Fire roasted) - Since we loved the smoked potatoes so much, my mother used to replicate this dish very often when potatoes were picked. We too started storing a pile which was used almost every day to make this delicacy. So easy too! In those days geysers were still a luxury and every bungalow had an outhouse. The outhouse had a place for boilers heated with coal. It was winter and very cold (In the North the temp. would dip to 2deg.), and the boilers would be fired early in the morning to heat water for bathing. Our helper, Ramkumar would add a lot of baby potatoes to the coal
when the heating was done, and the embers would still be hot. He would let them cook there and go black and loosen from the skin - about half an hour, sometimes lesser as we kids would pester him till he removed them. The fun part was blowing at the potatoes, trying to remove the charred skin while they were still hot and having them with a sharp hara chutney!! Nothing can beat the smoky flavor - I cannot replicate this in my house, as we do not have a barbecue or tandoor but why deprive ourselves of the delicacy. I have tandoori dishes quite often but grilled in the oven, and this is healthy as well as tasty!
Continuing from where I left in my
last post, I had used the same pesto recipe to try out this version of tandoori pesto potatoes. One look at the creamy pesto, and one lick told me it was just the right substitute for yogurt/dahi that acts as the marinade for anything tandoori. I just needed to
adjust the seasoning a bit by adding:
generous amounts of (about 1 lime) lime juice
amchoor (about 1/4tsp. mango powder or chaat masala)
1/2 tsp. white pepper powder or black pepper coarsely crushed
a tsp. of carotino (or any other) oil and
1/2 tsp. of red chilli powder and a pinch of turmeric (optional), but gives a very Indian feel.
This is my last entry to
FIC-Yellow!
Last time I had asked you
how the boars escaped in Asterix and the Black Gold (here): They enter the Roman camp! If you are an A and O person (or not), you know how the Romans hated that small Gaulish village - the only one that they failed to capture, and you know how the Gauls hate the Romans - the boars are forgotten!!
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Words & their meanings (just in case you're new to them)Tandoor - A large clay pot lined with coal at the bottom. The coals are heated to provide dry heat. Tandoori cooking is healthy as it does not require oil. Generally the food is marinated in a tangy/spicy creamy marinade made of yogurt or lime or tofu (as above), and skewered on iron rods and placed inside the pot. The cooking is quick, and the outer layer becomes crisp while the inner layers remain juicy. Coal adds a high degree of heat, and a 'cave man' flavor to the food which is sorely missed when we replicate these dishes in our electric grills. You can achieve the same flavor by using small indoor barbecues but it is a compromise and not the real thing!
Aloo (Hindi) - Potatoes
Tabela (Hindi) - A stable or cattle shed. Tabela generally refers to many animals kept in the same barn or shed with or without individual compartments. It is used for large scale reference, but here I mean few cows - about 5 to 10!
Lassi - Thick sweet yogurt drink topped with cream and nuts generally taken after lunch.
Hara chutney - Same as
pudina chutney - see it
here.
If the marinade is excess try the
tandoori gobi - It involves a bit of preparation but totally worth it!
If you liked this, you may like
the peanut butter twist to regular tandoori potatoes too!
