Bengali Bhapa Aloo | Steamed Potatoes with mustard and coconut paste
Super simple yet delicious side dish using potatoes coated with a mustard and coconut paste using steaming method
Ingredients
- 3 / 18-20 cup/no. Potato cube / baby potato (peeled)
- 1½ tsp Coconut (grated)
- 1 tsp Mustard seed
- 5-6 no. Green chili
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Panch phoran
- 1 tbsp Mustard oil
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker take all the potato cubes / peeled baby potatoes along with turmeric powder and salt.
- Pour enough water and pressure cook till boiled. (Donot over boil the potatoes, else the end result will be completely a messy)
- Drain the potatoes and keep aside in a bowl.
- Now in a blender jar, make a fine paste of mustard seeds, grated coconut and 3-4 no of green chilies.
- Add this paste to the boiled potatoes.
- Heat mustard oil in a tadka pan.
- When oil is hot, add panch phoran and allow to splutter.
- Then turn off heat and pour this tempering onto the bowl containing the potatoes.
- Meanwhile, turn on the steamer.
- Now mix everything gently (do not break the potatoes) till all the potatoes are well coated.
- Take a container (supposed to put inside the steamer pot) and lined a banana leaf.
- Then transfer the potatoes into it and top it with another banana leaf.
- Put on the lid and steam for 10-12 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, take out the container from the steamer.
- Serve Bhapa Aloo hot with steamed rice-dal combo or even with poori, paratha !
Notes
- Adjust the spiciness (no of green chili)as per the need.
- Baby potato is the best to make bhapa aloo. If that is not available, then just make cubes of regular potatoes and use them.
- Mustard oil is the must, adds a nice fragrant to the bhapa aloo. Do not replace it with any other oil.
- Red chili can be added to the tempering. I have not added.
- Freshly grated coconut or even desiccated coconut, both play perfectly here.
- Banana leaf is not mandatory. Instead of that, just put all the potatoes into the container and steam. But steaming in banana leaves adds a nice flavor.
- Wrapping in banana leaves follows a trick that leads to no tearing in the leaves while wrapping. ' Just hold the leaves near to the gas flame for few seconds only. Voila, the leaves will become super soft and foldable too. Do not go too close to the flame, else the leaves will burn simply.'