Potato Besan Gravy

My grandmother used to make this gravy every time she made poori or chapathi as an early evening "tiffin" before we had our comforting share of rice, yogurt and vegetables for dinner. My mind conjures up memories of distinct sights, smells and tastes as we cousins used to excitedly hang around the kitchen waiting for the pooris to be fried and the bubbling gravy to be done. Our grandma, bless her, would try to stifle a smile as she unsuccessfully swatted us kids out of the hot, sweltering kitchen and she would patiently roll out the pooris and arrange them neatly on sheaths of newspapers laid out on the kitchen floor and counters. Now that I think of it, we never tried to help her in the kitchen, nor did she ever ask us to help. How pampered were we! Today, just the thought of going home tired and making a meal all by myself is a little exhausting. If it weren't for the consistent help from my husband who does all the cutting/chopping prep work, bless his kind heart and dextrous energizer-bunny hands that move faster than normal human hands, I would spend the bulk of my evening hours in the kitchen, with no leisure time for myself, and that would turn me into an awful curmudgeon. How guilty and sad I feel for women who slaved and continue to slave in the kitchen all day long.

Anyway, bless all the wonderful women, this potato-besan gravy was a staple with pooris at our place. I don't know if this gravy is known by a distinct  South-Indian name, but we used to call it "kadala-maavu-karachu-vitta-kizhangu", which sort of means "potatoes in diluted besan"... we weren't very innovative with name-giving. While going through my cousin/aunt's recent trip pictures, I realized that this dish is a variation of a very popular Maharashtrian side dish called Zunka or Pitla (depending on whether the curry is dry or made into a gravy) that is prepared in a similar fashion with diluted besan, but sans potatoes. Her pictures of the yummy dish brought back memories of my grandma, her awesome food, and all the blissfully ignorant and peaceful days of childhood. So, here's her recipe and a small homage to someone who is sorely missed. Thanks for all the wonderful meals, paati.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 4 medium-sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
2. 1 onion, chopped (or sliced)
3. 1-2 green chillies, chopped
4. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
5. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
6. 1 teaspoon split de-husked urad dal / ulutham paruppu
7. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
8. 1 tomato, chopped
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1.5 teaspoons sambar powder
11. 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon besan / chickpea flour / gram flour
12. 2 cups water
13. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
14. 1 tablespoon oil
15. 1 cup chopped coriander leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. When hot, splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, hing, ginger, green chillies, and turmeric and stir for a few seconds.
2. Add onions and cook them until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, coriander leaves and sambar powder and cook until tomatoes are mushy and leave the sides of the pan. 
3. Add the boiled and cubed potatoes and gently mix. 
4. Whisk together the besan and water until smooth with no lumps. Add this to the curry and stir well. Let the gravy cook for about 5-7 minutes on low heat until it begins to bubble and the besan doesn't smell or taste raw. 

 Remove from heat and serve immediately with warm rotis or crisp pooris. The gravy doesn't thicken much when stored for a day or two.