Potala Alu Rasa

One of Odisha's authentic & popular dishes - Potala Alu Rasa. 
Any important function in a typical Odiya household and this curry is sure to make it's presence felt in the vegetarian section. 


Deep fry the potalas, or make stuffed potala out of them.... a curry or simply shallow fry them, they turn out real good. 
Potala alu rasa is one flavorful curry. Prepare it and end up with a lip-smacking, finger-licking meal !


 

Potala Alu Rasa - An authentic spicy gravy based Odiya curry.



 




 



INGREDIENTS:

• 5-6 Potala (Parwal/ Pointed Gourd)
• 2 Medium Sized Potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 Medium Sized Onion, chopped finely
• 1 Tbspn Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 Medium Sized Tomato, pureed
• 1 Tbspn Garam Masala
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 1 Dry Red Chilly
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 2 Tbspn Coconut Milk (optional)
• Mustard Oil
• Chilli Powder as per taste
• Salt, as per taste 

METHOD:

• Wash the potala and scrape its skin. Cut diagonally into 1” pieces.
• Heat about 2 tbspn of mustard oil in a pan. When it starts smoking, add the potala pieces and fry until soft and slightly browned. Keep aside. Alternatively, they can be deep fried too.
• In the now empty pan, add more oil if required followed by cumin seeds, asafoetida and dry red chilly.
• As the cumin seeds turn brown, add onion. Saute till properly cooked.
• Then add ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell disappears. Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Keep sautéing.
• Soon the oil shall leave the masala, indicating that the masala is done. To this masala, add the raw potato cubes and saute for another couple of minutes.
• In a pressure cooker, add this mixture with enough water to cover the potatoes. Cover the lid and let it give a whistle. Switch off flame.
• Alternatively, the potatoes can be deep fried. In this case, there is no use for the pressure cooker. The potatoes can then be directly added to the cooked masala.
• The previously fried potala pieces can now be added. Add the coconut milk (optional). Bring it to a boil, then simmer till required gravy consistency is achieved.
• Add garam masala and chilli powder. And simmer for a couple of minutes before turning off the heat.
• Potala alu rasa is ready!!