Egg and Potato Squares in Gravy / Dimer Dhokar Dalna

No this is not a recipe I made up...I saw this on a food show and decided to give it a shot. It turned out really great. When I was going to post it I discovered it is actually a common Bengali dish. But I must say it is something quite interesting and it can even be served when you have guests.

Here is the recipe I followed...

Ingredients

For the Squares

4 medium-sized boiled potatoes,

3 eggs,

3 – 4 green chillies,

1 tsp chopped ginger,

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves,

½ tsp cumin powder,

1 tsp coriander powder,

1 tsp red chilli powder,

½ tsp turmeric powder,

½ tsp garam masala powder,

Salt to taste,

½ tsp pepper powder,

Oil for deep frying,

For the Gravy

2 chopped onions,

1 inch piece of ginger,

10-12 garlic cloves,

2 medium-sized tomatoes,

½ cup curds,

3 tbsp mustard oil,

1 tsp panch phoran (a pinch each of mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds),

3 tbsps Maggi Bhuna Masala (optional),

1 tsp cumin powder,

1 tsp coriander powder,

½ tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp red chilli powder,

½ tsp garam masala powder,

Salt to taste,

½ tsp sugar,

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

Peel and mash the potatoes well, ensuring there are no lumps. Mix in all the other ingredients for the squares except the oil.

Grease a baking dish with some oil and pour this mixture into it. Steam it for 20 minutes. I steamed it in the pressure cooker. Once cool cut it into squares and deep fry them. Keep them aside.

To make the gravy heat half the mustard oil and add the chopped onions and fry till they turn pink in colour. Now add the ginger and garlic and fry till the onions turn brown in colour. Once cool grind this with the tomatoes and curd into a fine paste.

Heat the remaining mustard oil and add the panch phoran. Once it pops add the paste, Maggi bhuna masala (if using it), dry spice powders, salt and sugar. Cook till the oil separates. Now add about 2 cups of water and let it come to a boil. At this stage add the egg squares (I reserved a few to have at tea time) and let it cook for some 2-3 minutes. Garnish with the coriander leaves.

Goes well with rice, you can even serve it with rotis.