Aloo (Potato Curry)

This dish, eaten for breakfast, is eaten with poori- a deep fried puffy bread.

Ingredients:
3 tbspn oil
pinch mustard seeds
1/4 cup diced onions
10 curry leaves
3-4 green chilies cut in half (add as many as per taste)
1 cup water
2 tbspn chenna dhal
2 cups cubed potatoes about 1/2 inch cubes, doesn't have to be uniform
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt per taste
3 chunks ginger (about 1/8 inch chunks)


Method:
1. Heat oil in pan with mustard seeds.
2. When seeds pop add the diced onions on medium heat. Add curry leaves and green chilies. Sweat onions, do not brown or burn.
3. Add 2 cups water and chenna dhal with potatoes.
4. Add turmeric, salt, and ginger pieces. Boil until potatoes are fully cooked and can be mashed.
When it is done, potatoes will become mushy and pasty. It can be considered like a thick gravy. Not all potatoes should be mashed. You will be able to see potato chunks.


Variation 1:
Do not add mustard seeds, curry leaves or onions, instead temper 1/2 cup finely diced tomatoes in step 2. All other steps remain the same. This version can be eaten with pooris.
Variation 2:
Do not add mustard seeds, curry leaves or turmeric. Instead of boiling in water, boil in 1/2 water 1/2 milk. (This variety is more or less the Kerala potato stew.) This version is known to be eaten with appams or iddiappams.