Stewed Bok Choy and Potatoes with Caramelised Red Onions

This quick and easy side dish pairs the sweetness of caramelised red onions with pungent hing (asafoetida), to flavour mild and tender baby bok choy and potatoes. It is a great accompaniment to steamed or grilled fish, and equally delicious as a cold, day-old salad.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
4 whole Dried Red Chillis
1 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
1 small Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 lb [700gms] Potatoes, washed and cut lengthwise, skin-on, into 8 pieces each
Salt (to taste)
½ cup Water
1 lb [700 gms] Bok Choy, washed and with the ends of the stalks trimmed off

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add dried red chillis and stir briskly for about a minute until the chillis start to blacken. 
2. Lower heat to medium, add hing, and sputter for about a minute. Add red onion and fry for 3–4 mins till well caramelised.
3. Add potatoes and stir fry for 2–3 mins until lightly golden. Add salt and water, and continue cooking, covered, for another 5 mins, until the potatoes are fork tender. Add bok choy and stir briskly till the leaves are wilted. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 mins before serving.

Roasted Cumin Potatoes

This recipe is my take on a classic north Indian jeera aaloo—cumin potatoes. Unlike the traditional version, which is cooked stovetop, I use the customary ingredients called for, but roast the potatoes in the oven for a crisp and dry finish.

Ingredients 

2 lbs [1 kg] Potatoes, washed and cut, skin-on, into 1-inch-thick pieces
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp whole Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt (to taste)
2 tbsp Olive Oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 450º F (230ºC). Arrange potatoes in one layer in a baking dish. 
2. Heat vegetable oil in a small skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add cumin and let sputter for about 1 min. Remove from heat and pour the spice and oil over the potatoes. 
3. Sprinkle turmeric, chilli powder, black pepper, and sea salt, drizzle with olive oil, and using your hands, toss well to mix. 
4. Roast in the oven for 30 mins, then stir the potatoes with a large spoon to ensure that they caramelise evenly. Continue roasting for another 15 mins. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Potatoes and Caramelised Leeks with Paanch Phoron and Hing

Paanch Phoron and Hing are a classical combination of spices that show-up in numerous vegetable dishes from eastern India. I’ve recently started pairing them with more western vegetables to startlingly good results. This recipe transgresses further from orthodox Bengali vegetarian dishes, which are cooked without onions or garlic (the traditional base for most meat and poultry curries), by introducing leeks—a mild and delicate member of the onion family— to the mix. The caramelised strands of leek wrap around the potatoes and impart a sweet counterpoint to the pungent note of paanch phoron and hing.

Ingredients 

3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
6–8 whole Dried Red Chillis
6 oz [170 gms] Leeks, peeled, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch-thick round slices
1 tbsp Paanch Phoron
½ tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
1½ lbs [700 gms] Potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into eight pieces each
Salt (to taste)
¼ cup boiling Water

1. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add chillis and sauté briskly for 1 min until they are blackened. Remove chillis to a platter with a slotted spoon. 
2. In the same pan, add the leeks and cook for 7–8 mins over high heat, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove leeks from pan and set aside on the platter with the chillis. 
3. Add remaining 1½ tbsp oil to pan and heat till smoking. Add paanch phoron and hing and let sputter for 30 secs. Add potatoes and stir briskly for 2–3 minutes, until the edges take on colour. Add caramelised leeks, blackened chillis, and salt, sprinkle water 2 tbsps at a time, and stir well. Turn heat to low, put a lid on the pan, and cook for 5–7 mins, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Everyday Chicken Curry

This is the everyday curry I grew up eating. It was made almost daily and is probably imprinted into my DNA. When I was very little and couldn’t tolerate as much heat, the curry was a golden yellow and made without any red chillis. As my cousins and I grew older, the amount of red chillis in the curry steadily went up, so that by the time I was in my teens, it was a fiery orange-red. But the colour is not the only hallmark of this recipe. In fact, in my mind, the chicken is secondary to the potatoes, which is more than worth fighting for. And the light, broth-ey curry is irresistible sopped up with warm, freshly made rice.

Ingredients 

6 tbsp Vegetable oil
1½ lbs [750 gms] Potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
3 whole Cloves
3 whole Cardamom pods
2 sticks Cinnamon
2-3 Bay Leaves
1 large Onion, chopped (approximately 1½ cups)
2 small Tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp Turmeric
2 tbsp Red Chilli powder (adjust to your taste)
2-inch piece Ginger, peeled and crushed to a paste
6 cloves Garlic, crushed to a paste
4lbs [2 kgs] bone-in Chicken pieces with skin removed (combination of thigh, leg, and breast)
Salt (to taste)
3½ cups Water

1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium–high heat. Add potatoes and brown for 5 mins, until lightly golden. Remove potatoes and set aside in a bowl. 
2. Add remaining 3 tbsp oil to the pot. When the oil is smoking, add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves, stir for about 1 min and allow the spices to swell. Add onions and fry for 7–8 mins, until golden brown and well caramelised. Add chopped tomatoes and stir well for 5 mins until they disintegrate into the onions. 
3. Mix turmeric and chilli powder with a little water to make into a paste, and add to the pot. Stir briskly for about 2 mins, and then add ginger and garlic. Continue stirring, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, until the oil starts to separate from the spice mixture, about 5-7 mins. 
4. Add chicken and stir well to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly with the spices. Continue stirring the chicken until it loses its raw, pink colour. Add potatoes, salt and water, stir, and bring to a brisk boil. Then lower heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 40-45 mins. Check the pot occasionally and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. You know it is ready when all of the onions and tomato have amalgamated into the curry, and the oil separates into a glossy topcoat. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 mins before serving.