Bombay Saagu/Potato Saagu

Bombay Saagu/ Potato Saagu is a nice accompaniment for Set dosa, Rave idli or Poori/Chapathi. I like rave idli-bombay saagu-chutney combination very much and I make it a point to prepare this every time I make rave idli. 

This is my amma’s recipe. It is basically just cooked potato mixed in some besan(gram flour) based curry. I think the usage of besan as a thickening agent, just like jhunka(which is very much a North Karnataka/Maharashtra-ian dish), is the reason behind having “bombay” in its name. 

The procedure is very very easy and the taste is simply awesome.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Potato - 2-3

Onion - 1 medium (optional)

Tomato - 1-2 medium

Peas - handful(optional)

Green chilli - 2-3

Ginger - a small piece chopped finely

Besan - 1 to 1 1/2 tsp

Sour curd - 1 tblsp

Cilantro

for the tadka

Oil

mustard seeds

Channa dal

Curry leaves

Asafoetida

Method

Pressure cook potatoes. After they cool down, peel the skin and roughly mash them with your hands. Meanwhile take a pot. Make tadka. Add chopped onions. Sauté till the onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, cook till they are slightly mushy. Add frozen peas. Adjust the water. After it comes to a boil, add salt and roughly mashed potatoes. Let it boil for a minute. Meanwhile mix besan and sour curd to a paste without any lumps. Let the paste be more on the watery side. Add it to the potato mixture while continuously stirring the potato mixture, otherwise lumps will form. Let it boil. It thickens as it boils. Adjust water if need be. Turn of the stove. Add cilantro. 

Serve hot!

Tips - 

• If you are serving after sometime, make the saagu more watery as it thickens once it cools down.
• If you don’t have sour curd, mix the besan in water and add lemon juice in the end.
• Let the tadka be little more strong with asafoetida and ginger. It compliments potato nicely. 

Recipe Source - Shrimathi Vasudeva