Today is Karva Chauth (or Karwa Chauth).
Usually, falling in the month of October, Karva Chauth is the fourth day of the Harvest moon. Most married Hindu women go on a fast from dawn to moonrise for the long life of their husbands. It is a religious festival that has now become a social event. The markets are usually crowded with shoppers looking for different colored bangles (bracelets), gifts, Indian sweetmeats, and dishes traditionally eaten on this day. Mothers-in-law will gift their bahu (son’s wife) with an outfit or fine jewelry for keeping the fast. The women get up early morning to bathe and pray and eat their fill before sunrise! Traditional fasters do not eat or drink anything after that until moonrise.
I stand over the sink scrubbing the potatoes under running water before I put them to boil. Our son and daughter-in-law are coming over for the weekend. It will be great to see them!
Indian cuisine varies from state to state. This trip, I decide on a South Indian style brunch from recipes I learnt from Mama who was from the southern part of India. The potatoes are a perfect accompaniment for dosas which are typically South Indian crêpes made out of fermented rice and urd dal (matpe bean) flour. The crêpes are also served with coconut chutney and Sambar dal to complete the meal.
Dosa Allu: South Indian Style Potatoes
Indian cuisine varies from state to state, and these savory South Indian-style potatoes are the perfect complement to dosas (Indian crêpes) and make a fantastic breakfast potato dish, too!
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium sized boiled Russet potatoes (peeled and chopped into bite sized bits)
- 1 medium sized yellow onion (or 2 shallots, chopped fine)
- 1 green Serrano, diced (optional, omit or increase to taste)
- 1-2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp black/brown mustard seeds
- ½ tsp channa dal, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained ( optional)
- ½ tsp urd dal, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained (optional)
- 6-10 curry leaves (available at any Indian grocery store. You can omit this but it gives the dish a distinctive taste.)
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (green Coriander leaves)
- 4-5 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok or deep pan on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds until they pop and splutter for a few seconds. Then add the curry leaves and chopped green chilies (be careful of splutter burns!!). If you are adding the lentils, now would be the time to do so.
- About 15-20 seconds after you add the mustard seeds (and lentils), add the chopped onions. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to turn half brown.
- Add the turmeric powder, stir for a second or two, then add the boiled potatoes and salt to taste.
- Stir the potatoes, breaking them up further to a half-mashed consistency. You may need to add a little more cooking oil if they look too dry.
- Add the chopped cilantro and continue to stir until the masala is well blended.
- Remove from stove. Let sit a few minutes before serving.
Notes
These potatoes can be served with rice and different dals (lentil soups). You can do a tortilla or Roti wrap. I have even placed it between slices of bread and then sautéed the sandwich lightly, and I eat that with ketchup (yummy!). It also goes well with ground beef, cooked Indian style.
I also use any leftovers to make allu bonda (potato balls dipped in chick pea flour and deep fried).
Deepawali (or ‘Diwali, the “festival of lights”) is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn (northern hemisphere) or spring (southern hemisphere) every year. Arguably the most important festival in Hinduism, it is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness or good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November.
Read more on Wikipedia.
Beef curry is cooked the same as any other meat curry, except it takes a little longer for the meat to tenderize. The cow being sacred in India, goat or lamb is used in place of beef. Out of respect for some of our Hindu Brahmin friends who did not like their vegan food cooked in the same pot as the meats, we separated the pots! 
Since our social life always entailed hosting several large dinners a month (or even in a week), it was respectful to follow tradition rather than offend feelings and religious beliefs of those invited. Society in India is so closely knit that you never say, “I don’ t care.” You are brought up caring about not offending anyone!
Mama always cooked with goat meat and she would include a couple of marrow bones each time. The bones were small and made for a tastier gravy. Marrow in India is considered a high delicacy. With so many kids in the house we took turns getting a marrow bone! We would scoop the marrow out with a thin marrow spoon. It was always a treat.
I fix beef curry with boneless stew meat so I add some beef broth to get a richer tasting gravy.
Beef Curry
A delicious, Indian-style stew with meat simmered in aromatic spices.
Ingredients
- 1-1½ lbs beef stew meat (you can also use lamb or goat meat)
- 2 medium onions (chopped very fine or use a food processor, but do not grind to a paste)
- 1 tbsp garlic paste (can use bottled)
- 1 tbsp giner paste (can use bottled)
- 3 medium russet potatoes (peeled and cut in half breadth wise, optional)
- ½ bunch cilantro (pick leaves and a bit of the stem, washed and chopped)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (or 6 oz can tomato sauce)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn, peanut)
- 1 medium Serrano green chili (slit half-way down the middle, optional)
- 2 cups hot water (for gravy)
- 1 can beef broth (optional, you can use water instead)
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
Whole Spices
- 2 medium bay leaves
- 5 pepper corns
- 4 cloves
- 1 large black cardamom
- 2 small green cardamom (WholeSpices 2 bay leaves4-5 pepper corns4-5 cloves1 black cardamom2 small green cardamom1 small (1 inch) stick cinnamon)
- 1 small cinnamon stick (about 1 inch stick)
Masalas (Spices)
- ½ tsp tumeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large (6 quart)cooking pot over medium heat.
- Add whole spices and whole green chili. If you split the green chili mid-way down the center, it adds more heat to the curry. If you don’t want that, just punch it once with a fork so it does not burst in the hot oil). Let splutter a few moments and then add onions. Sauté till onions are nearly ¾ brown stirring occasionally so that the onions don't burn around the edges This should take about 8-10 mins.
- Add beef. Braise well for about 5 minutes until the moisture evaporates and the beef is no longer pink.
- Add ginger paste, garlic paste, and spice powders. Continue to sauté for an additional 5-8 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and half the cilantro. Cook, stirring frequently until most of the moisture is absorbed and the oil starts to rise on the edges of the pan. About 10-15 minutes. This is the most important part of getting a good tasty curry. It is called "bhuno" or braising.
- Add the hot water, stock, potatoes, and let cook until the potatoes are done. Approximately 20 minutes.
- Serve in a deep dish and garnish with remaining cilantro.
- Serve with plain rice or any Indian-styled pilaf and any Indian-styled non-curried vegetable. It can also be eaten with rotis, pita bread, or tortillas. My husband enjoys dipping bread in the gravy!
Notes
You can make the gravy more or less by monitoring the water content, but don't make it thin and runny as it loses its flavor.
To cut cooking time you can boil or pressure cook the meat till three quarter done and then cook the curry according to the recipe.
I like to use a manual pressure cooker or an Instapot. I cook everything directly in the pressure cooker. Sauté as indicated, then add the liquids and pressure cook the curry for about 5-8 mins. Pressure time will vary depending on altitude and the heat from your stove top so you will have to experiment! I then wait about 8 minutes to release the pressure. Now add the potatoes and cook it without pressure till the potatoes are done, about 10-15 minutes. I prefer it this way so that the potatoes don't get mushy in case the pressure is gets too much.
If you want to fix it in a Crock Pot, then once you finish the sautéing part, pour the sautéed meat, stock, cold water, and whole potatoes into the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hrs. Be sure to check in between to see the potatoes don't get overcooked and disintegrate!