May, 2003
Although it may look like just a day for the rest of the world, but it is not just a day for me and my cousin Tumpa. For this is the first time in our life when we are honoured with the responsibility of taking care and running the house all by ourselves, as my Maa is away for not just a day, but ten long days along with my brother. Ofcourse we both are in all excitement for this small chapter of independence, with all the time to ourselves to do our own things as per our own whims and fancies, and not being answerable to anyone for the entire day, after Baba leaves for office in the morning. But as they say, with independence comes responsibility. Thus, we two sisters, very much aware of the importance of the position we are holding currently, the seriousness of our responsibility, and having no intention to leave any stone unturned to prove how deserving we are for this position, we start pondering on ‘what to cook for lunch?’ No way we are going to compromise by choosing anything that is even an inch lesser than the demand of our tastebuds, or anything that does not address our desire of being adventurous, for these are the only few days when we are having the kitchen to our command. But matching the demand of our tastebud and addressing our desire with limited capability is the concern. We are in the soup. Certainly, we want to raise our standards from Dal (which we just learnt two days back) and Aloo Bhaja. But what? Suddenly Tumpa exclaims, ‘Dim Torkari’……..‘Aloo Diye’ (egg curry with potato). For being food lover and egg lover, the words are making me feel exhilarated. But no. I cannot let anything go wrong when I am in charge of the house for the first time in life. Being the elder one, it is my duty to crosscheck. I compose myself to ask, “Tumpa, do you know how to make egg curry?”. With the carefree confidence which she has just acquired after solving the biggest puzzle of life, she replies, “Yes. We just need to chop garlic and onion and cut potatoes and we are done”. I can’t control but suddenly I feel some movement of muscles around my lips. Yes, I am smiling. For her words are music to my ears. And her confidence is contagious.
For most of the Bengalis whom I have known in my life, this ‘Aloo Diye Dim Torkari Or Egg Curry With Potato Chunks,’ has been the first proper dish they have cooked after they graduated from making Maggi and omelettes. This comfortable easy breezy ‘Aloo Diye Dim Torkari Or Egg Curry With Potato Chunks’ is an another go to dish for most Bengali youths when they come out from their den and feel home sick. And it is the dish for most Bengali households when we do not have anything fancy stocked up in refrigerator, but we want something good to eat.
Although, every household has their own recipe. But this ‘Aloo Diye Dim Torkari Or Egg Curry With Potato Chunks’ is a very common dish which is cooked in almost every Bengali household atleast 3-4 times in a month.
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Recipe: Aloo Diye Dim Torkari Or Egg Curry With Potato Chunks
Preparation Time: Around 18 minutes Pressure Cooking Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: Around 1 hour 10 minutes Equipment Used: Chopping Board, knife & peeler, bowls, pressure cooker, wok, spatula, measuring spoon and measuring cup
Ingredients:
- 2 potatoes
- 6 eggs
- 2 medium sized onion
- 1 small tomato or one half of a big tomato
- 6-7 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoon mustard oil
- 3/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 and ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 red chilli (broken into half)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 green chilli
- 2 and ½ cups water
- 1.25 inch X ½ inch ginger
Method:
- Clean the potatoes. Peel and cut them to big dices (each potato to 4 – 6 pieces)
- Pressure cook the potato pieces along with the eggs
- In the meantime, peel and crush the garlic cloves, thinly slice the onions, and cut the tomatoes
- Once the pressure releases, open the cooker and shift the potato pieces to another container
- Peel the eggs
- Heat a wok
- Heat 2 tablespoon mustard oil once the wok is hot
- As the oil turns hot, fry the eggs in the oil after adding 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon salt
- Shift the fried eggs to another container and add 2 tablespoons more oil into the wok
- Heat the oil and temper the oil with red chilli
- Add the crushed garlic along with onion into the wok
- Add tomato when onion pieces are fried and they turn translucent
- Add the boiled potato dices followed by ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Slit a green chilli into the wok and cook the ingredients on low flame till the potato pieces are fried
- Add water, as the edges of the potato pieces turn little crisp. Cook till bubbles form
- Add eggs when small bubbles start forming in water
- Grate ginger
- Taste and adjust salt and sugar. I have added 1 teaspoon more salt and ½ teaspoon more sugar
- Cook for a minute and switch off the flame
Peel and cut potatoes to big dices.
Pressure cook the potato pieces along with the eggs.
Peel and crush the garlic cloves, thinly slice the onions, and cut the tomatoes
Once the pressure releases, open the cooker and shift the potato pieces to another container.
Peel the eggs.
Heat 2 tablespoon mustard oil.
Fry the eggs in the oil after adding 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon salt .
Shift the fried eggs to another container and add 2 tablespoons more oil into the wok.
Temper the oil with red chilli.
Add the crushed garlic along with onion into the wok .
Add tomato when onion pieces are fried.
Add the boiled potato dices followed by ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon sugar.
Slit a green chilli into the wok and cook the ingredients on low flame till the potato pieces are fried.
Add water, as the edges of the potato pieces turn little crisp.
Add eggs when small bubbles begin to form in water.
Taste and adjust salt and sugar. Cook for a minute and switch off the flame.
Tips:
- Proportionately increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients as per the number of eggs
- To retain the required firmness of the potato pieces, it is important to take out the potato pieces from pressure cooker as soon as the pressure releases
- Make a small insertion in the eggs with a knife so that the masala reaches the yolk
- You can determine when the potatoes are fried through the aroma as well as when the light crisp skin formed around the edges of potato pieces
