Batatya Upkari Ani Daalitoy (Potato Curry and Daal-South Canara Style)

Batatya Upkari (Left Hand Side) Daalitoy (Right Hand Side)

Speaking of Konkanis and to be more specific, at my place, this is the most sought after meal.
Some of them swear this Daal to be their 'Kul-Dev', while the other lot prefers to simply slurp it down tossed with melted ghee! The accompaniment is dry curry which is generally called 'Upkari' and can be made of several veggies, but our fave is either Tendley(Gherkins) or Batato ( Potato).
The potato curry is usually garnished with freshly scraped coconut, but I have skipped that.


Batatya Upkari :

Ingredients -
6 medium sized potatoes
1 tsp rai
5-6 red chillies (bydagi)
Salt
Oil

Method -
Wash the potatoes thoroughly. The potatoes are not peeled. Cut into french fries style mini pieces. (As shown in pic). Heat around a tbspn of cooking oil in kadhai, pop the mustard seeds, halve the chillies and add till glossy with oil. Next add the cut potatoes, stir till coated uniformly with oil, cover the lid, allow to cook in its own steam, stir in-between so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Add salt to taste. Cook for 10-15 min or until done. It should get cooked but not mashed, the shape should be intact. Cover till serving for flavours to blend. Garnish with a tbspn of freshly scraped coconut if desired.


Daalitoy or Toay :

Ingredients -
1 cup tuvar daal
1 pinch hing powder / lapsi sized crystal of hing
2 green chillies
1 tbspn coconut oil
1 tsp rai
5-6 red chillies (byadgi)
Ghee while serving

Method -
Pressure cook daal along with green chillies with double the amount of water for upto 3 whistles.
In a vessel take salt and hing (dilute the crystals if using those with warm water) pour the daal in it, churn it a little. (At this stage add more water if you like it liquidy or let it just be if you like it thick.) Throw away the cooked green chillies. Simmer the daal again on gas top, medium flame. In a tadka pan, heat coconut oil and pop the mustard seeds, add the halved byadgi chillies till glossy and pour it over the boiling daal. Put the flame off and cover with lid for flavours to blend.

Serve hot rice, top the rice with ghee, pour Daalitoy and relish it with Batatya Upkari!!


(PS: This is how the dish is made by my mother, there are variations and combinations that people like and I am representing only my family's taste here.)


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