Mustard Potatoes

Don't you love the taste of raw mustard? I do. I've used it a lot in my cooking. I simply love that pungency and a little bit of a hot, spicy taste. Its delicious.

Now, if you put that and potatoes together, there can be nothing wrong with it!

Here's a lovely Bengali dish with some raw mustard, mustard seeds, mustard oil and potatoes. It's really really good. It makes a great side with rice or rotis/ chapatis.



Bengali Mustard Potatoes

(the original recipe is from a paper I've torn out of a magazine ages ago and only recently found. I have no idea which magazine this is from, so can't credit the source)

4-5 tsp Mustard Seeds
8 Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into pieces
3 Tomatoes, chopped
4 tbsp Mustard Oil
Kasundi (a special Bengali mustard paste. Its available at specialty stores) (optional), to taste.
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder, or to taste
10-12 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 cups Water
Salt, to taste

Crush the mustard seeds in a mortar and pestle or really with any heavy object.

In a deep pan, heat the mustard oil, add the garlic cloves and stir fry until the garlic is a golden brown. Add the crushed mustard and turn the heat to low. Allow to cook for a minute or two. Keep stirring and don't allow the mustard to burn. Add the potatoes wedges. Mix thoroughly to coat.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, kasundi, salt and water. Cook covered on medium heat till potatoes are cooked and tender, about 25-30 minutes,

Serve warm with rice or rotis.

If you like this, you'll also like Mustard Curry and Mustard Chutney, on this blog.

Mustard and Cheese Bread

This is a must-try bread. Just take my word for it. Even if you've never baked another bread in your life, do try this. Its delicious, easy and very forgiving. I received this recipe from a friend many years ago. I've made it many many times since then, but have only just realized I haven't posted this on my blog.

It's from Martha Rose Shulman, who is a columnist for the New York Times and an author of several cookbooks. After the great success of this bread, I ran out and bought her book. It's just amazing. Buy a copy. 

Cheese and Mustard Bread

(From Great Breads by Martha Rose Shulman)

2 1/2 tsps Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm Water
1/2 cup lukewarm Milk
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Oil
1 large Egg, lightly beaten (about 1/4 cup)
1/4-1/2 cup Mustard (the recipe recommends Dijon but I used an Indian mustard, Kasundi. Also I used a little more than 1/2 cup, as I love the spiciness of Kasundi).
1 tbsp Shallots/ Onions, finely chopped (I used 2 tbsp)
1 cup Sharp Cheese like Gruyere, grated (I used Pecorino, because I love it)
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1 beaten egg, for egg wash (optional. I didn't use it).

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let stand for five minutes until frothy.

Mix all the ingredients together including the yeast, in a bowl. (You can add several other options to this dough like cumin seeds, black pepper or any other herbs or spices, maybe even some nuts would be lovely). Keep mixing until they come together as dough. If too sticky, add a little bit of flour, but please go easy on the flour. Of course, you can add some water if the dough is too dry.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a well-oiled bowl and cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the warmth of the room.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C.

Punch down and shape the dough into a loaf. (Or any shape you desire). Place in a loaf pan and cover with a cloth. Leave again in a warm place and allow to double in size.


Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until down. (Adjust timings if you are making anything smaller than a regular loaf). To test if a loaf is done, knock on it gently and you'll get a hollow sound. Let it cool slightly and then remove from pan. Allow to cool for a further 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve warm.

Mustard chutney

A friend would send this sauce and some delightful kachoris over once in a while. Though I loved the kachoris, the sauce is what I craved. I finally got the recipe and here it is!

Warning: the chutney/ sauce has a raw mustard taste that is pretty spicy but so delicious

Pooja's Mustard Chutney

100 g yogurt (strain out water for 10 mts)

4 green chillies

½ tsp mustard sauce

1 T mustard oil

Salt

Steam green chillies (add chillies to boiling water, cover with lid and leave for 2 mins).

 Remove from pan and de-seed.

Mix chillies with a little yogurt and blend tog in a mixer. 

Then add the mustard oil, mustard sauce and rest of the yogurt. Adjust salt according to taste and enjoy.

Mustard Curry

The abundance of mustard in this dishes gives it a spicy flavor that's just wonderful. Especially when combined with rasam and rice. This curry can be made with either mochai (fava beans), peas or green beans. They all taste equally good.


Mustard Curry (Kadugu Kootu)
2 cups Peas OR Fava Beans (mochai) OR Green Beans, cooked
1/2 cup Shredded coconut
6 dried Red Chillies
2 1/2 cups Water
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt, to taste

Seasoning:
1 tbsp Ghee Or Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
2 dried Red Chillies

Grind the coconut, dried red chilli, mustard seeds and chilli powder. Keep aside.

Heat a pan and add the ground coconut mixture and the cooked vegetable and salt. Cook until the raw smell of the mustard disappears.

Heat the ghee/ oil in another pan. Add the seasoning ingredients. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the seasoning to the cooking vegetables. Mix well and remove from heat.