Dish of Tinda Potato Sabzi
(click to enlarge)

Tinda Potato Sabzi


India - Punjab   -   Meya-patata (Sindhi); Aalu Tinde ki Sabji (Hindi)
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 7 cups
***
2-1/4 hrs
Yes		 A gourd stew very popular in the Punjab region of India, especially among the Sindhi people. It is flavorful, has good texture, and is easy to make. See also Comments.




1
1
14
7
4
1/2
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1/2
1
1/2
1
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1-1/2
1
1-1/2
8
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ar
ar
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ar
#
#
oz
oz
cl
in
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T
t
t
t
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T
t
c
oz
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Tinda Gourd (1)
Tomatoes
Potatoes (2)
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
-- Cooking Spices
Coriander Seed
Chili Powder (3)
Turmeric
Salt
---------
Oil
Cumin, whole
Water
Tomato Sauce (4)
-- Garnish
Garam Masala (5)
Cilantro Leaves
-- Serve with
Basmati Rice
PREP   (50 min)
  1. Cut GOURD into largish bite size pieces. In most cases it is not necessary to peel or seed, but see Note-1.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Chop small.
  3. Peel POTATOES and cut about the same size as the Gourd.
  4. Chop ONION small. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin, cut slices into threads and chop fine. Mix all.
  5. Grind Coriander and mix together all Cooking Spices.
  6. Chop CILANTRO coarse for Garnish.
RUN   (1-1/3 hrs)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan, heat Oil. Stir in 1 t Whole Cumin Seeds. When they start to splutter, stir in Onion mix. Fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  2. Stir in Tomatoes and fry stirring until soft.
  3. Stir in Cooking Spices and fry stirring for about 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in Tinda for about 2 minutes, then stir in Tomato Sauce and Water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat until Tinda is tender, stirring now and then (usually 50 to 60 minutes).
  5. When the Tinda has simmered about 15 minutes, stir in the Potatoes, Bring back to a boil, cover and continue to simmer until Tinda is done.
  6. Serve hot, sprinkled with Garam Masala and garnished with Cilantro - accompanied by plenty of steamed Basmati rice. For buffet service, just stir in 1 T Garam Masala.
NOTES:

  1. Tinda Gourd:

      These immature gourds are found in markets serving an Indian or Pakistani community. As sold in Southern California, they usually need no peeling or seeding. If you find they have hard white or black seeds, these must be scraped out. The skins are noticeable but usually not distracting, but if you are uncertain, peel thinly with vegetable peeler. For details see our Tinda page. You could also make this recipe using Bottle Gourd (Opo) which is much more easily available in North America. It is a lot larger and needs peeling, but cooking time is shorter. For details see our Bottle Gourd page.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they quickly turn to mush with long cooking or reheating. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Chili Powder:

      Caution - the measure is for Kashmir chili powder, which is quite mild, and appropriate for Punjabi recipes. Use your own best judgement here. For details see our Indian Chili page.

  4. Tomato Sauce:

      This is my addition. A convenient 8oz can of a very simple tomato sauce, does wonders to make up for deficient tomatoes. My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, but other simple sauces will also work.

  5. Garam Masala

      This should be a northwestern Indian Garum Masala, such as our recipe Garam Masala, Punjab.

  6. Comments

      In Persia, Sabzi means herbs or other greens, but in India Sabzi (or Subzi or Sabji) is a vegetable dish cooked with a "gravy". For a drier version (without potatoes) see Tinda Gourd Sabzi. The pattern recipe called for "Asafoetida" (Hing), which is usually used by those forbidden Onions to fill the flavor gap, We have enough onions in this recipe, so I don't consider Hing to be important. If you wish to use it, for pure Hing, add a pinch to the oil with the Cumin Seeds. For the common Hing Powder, 1/4 teaspoon with the Cooking Spices. For details see our Asafoetida page.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove, in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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