Did you see it coming?

I was sitting in my office working with my head buried inside the computer. I had to get some work done by the end of the day. I was exhausted and hungry. I walked out of my cubicle and headed to the lift area.
When the lift door opened, I pressed the number 9 in autopilot which took me to the cafe.

I went to the counter and ordered continental rice.
The lady at the counter as usual smiled and exchanged small talks. She handed me over the bill for the rice.
I handed it over to the food counter. A guy in a black uniform with a white apron on served rice into a thick black bowl and topped it with brown gravy and handed it over saying “Continental rice mam”.

I took it and sat by my favorite seat on the long chairs by the big window with a view of the outer ring road.
I took a spoon of the rice and the taste felt unfamiliar, foreign, forgotten.
With the next spoon of rice, I started missing the heavenly home food.
I got so uncomfortable with the third spoon and wanted my favourite Batate Ale Bajji.

I was looking around with much discomfort that I woke up suddenly with a jerk.
It was 2 AM!!
I was relieved it was only a dream and that I could still have my favourite batate ale bajji for lunch whenever I wished 

Well, I do miss going to office but I also enjoy the heavenly hot meals at home. 

Lot of things happened since the lockdown. One of the beautiful thing was getting married to this amazing person. And this ain’t a dream! 
When we marry a person, we also marry their cuisine! One recipe that has won my heart (and dreams) in the coastal cuisine is the most humble Batate Ale Bajji. I can start and end my meal with this dish <3.

Batate ale bajji literally translates to potato curd raita. This simple dish needs minimum ingredients- curd, boiled potatoes, hing, salt, ginger and chilies. 

Ingredients:
Medium sized potatoes – 2
Green chilly – 2
Ginger – 1 inch
Whisked Curd – 200 ml
Hing/ Asafoetida – 1 small pinch
Salt – as per taste
Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tbsp

For the tempering:
Mustard – 1 tsp
Sandige Menasu/Sun dried masala chilly – 4-5
Curry leaves chopped – 2 small strands
Medium potatoes- 2

Method:

1. Start with boiling the potatoes.
2. Mash the boiled potatoes into small bitable chunks.
3. In a mortar pestle(or anything that can smash), smash the ginger and green chillies.
4. Take a bowl of whisked curd, add the smashed potatoes, chillies, ginger.
5. Also add rock salt or any salt you prefer, hing water(we use gatti hing which needs soaking in 1 tbsp of water unlike the powdered ones)
6. Add the chopped coriander leaves.
7. Mix well so that everything blends together; the potatoes will nicely soak up the salt and spice from the chilies and ginger.
8. Top it with a tempering of oil, sandige menasu, mustard and curry leaves. Sandige Menasu can be made at home during summers or store bought
   [For newbies:
   – For the tempering, first let the oil heat up in a spatula. You can test the oil temperature by dropping a mustard seed and it should not sink at the bottom instead float on top with bubbles around. ]
   – Then add the mustard seeds. As they begin to splutter, add the sandige menasu and reduce the flame.
   – Fry till they turn dark brown. (takes around 10 to 15 seconds).
   – Then add curry leaves and toss for around 2 seconds before adding the tempering mix to the curd mix.

Pro tip: Allowing the dish to rest for about 30 mins will help in curd and potatoes to take in all the spice and salt.

Notes:
Sandige Menasu: Also called as Baluka or Dahi Mirchi can be store bought or made at home. This is an important tempering ingredient which adds to the taste of the dish.

Method with some nice pictures:

You will need 2 chillies, an inch of ginger, a tbsp of chopped coriander leaves, 2 sprig of curry leaves, 2 medium sized boiled potatoes, salt for your taste, a pinch of hing and a bowl of whisked curd.

All these ingredients are part of my default shopping list. They form the crux of my kitchen. I am sure its the same with every Indian household.

• Begin by mashing the boiled potatoes.
• Crush the green chillies and ginger with a mortar and pestle. (you can use mixer for a coarse mix as well)

Add in everything together; mashed potatoes, rock salt, hing, crushed ginger and chillies, chopped coriander, chopped curry leaves, whisked curd.
Mix well!

Now comes the special tempering where Sandige Menasu is used instead of red chillies. What makes this dish tasty is the addition of sandige menasu. Once the tempering is done, smash that as well before adding to the curd mix.

Happy Cooking!