Potato Ishtoo / Stew

This potato ishtoo is one of my favourites to go along with puttu, appam and idiappam. Cinnamon and cloves gives this ishtoo an aromatic flavour and Coconut milk enriches it.

Ingredients

2 big - Potatoes, quartered
1/2 of a medium size -Onion, chopped
2 - Jalapeno chili pepper Or 4 - green chili, slit in center
1 to 2 inch piece - Ginger, chopped
1 medium size - Tomato, chopped
2 to 3 sprigs - Curry leaves
1 stick - Cinnamon
4 to 6 - Cloves
1 whole - Grated coconut, to extract coconut milk
4 - Hard boiled eggs, cut into two ( Optional )

Garnishing

1/2 cup - Onion chopped, fry in oil to a light brown color
Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Extract coconut milk - In a blender/ grinder, grind grated coconut with little water and then extract the first thick coconut milk. Keep aside for final garnish.

• Make second extraction with same ground coconut. Pour 1.5 cup water and make second extraction.
• Make a third extraction with 1.5 cup water.

With one whole coconut, you will get a very rich gravy. You can use half of one whole coconut too for the above ingredient proportion. Use less water in extraction.

2) Heat little oil in a sauce pan, add cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves to the pan. Add onion, saute till onions become soft. Then add chili and ginger.

3 ) Pour the 3rd extracted coconut milk. Add potato, salt to taste and cook till potato is fully cooked. Don't over cook the potatoes.

4 ) Add tomato and the 2nd extracted milk. Bring to a boil and simmer. Adjust salt to taste. Add boiled eggs and simmer for 2 minutes.

Finally add the thick 1st extracted coconut milk and take off the stove. Garnish with some onions fried to light brown color.

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Serve with Appam, idiappam, puttu or neipathiri.

Tip

• If the gravy is watery when using half of a coconut, then mix little rice flour in water and add to the gravy. This will thicken the gravy.
• Mixed vegetable ishtoo / stew also can be made in the same manner, cooking other vegetables( peas, carrot, french beans ) along with potato.
• You can use canned coconut milk instead of extracting coconut milk. You will need one can of coconut milk. Dilute half of the coconut milk with water and use as 2nd extract. Use thick coconut milk as 1 st extract.Cook vegetables in water.