Curried Lotus Roots with Potatoes - Kamal Kakdi Aur Aloo ki Subzi

I'm Back after a short break for Thanksgiving. Hoping all my fellow blogger friends had a happy thanksgiving. We were visiting some dear family friends for thanksgiving. My friend Shashi made this for me. She's an excellent cook. She was kind enough to let me assist her in making this dish so I could learn it first hand and today I'm going to share this recipe with you. This brings back childhood memories when my Nani (maternal grandma) used to make this dish.

Lotus Roots has numerous health benefits. Its rich in Iron, Vitamins B,C and has great fiber content. It is used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. It has a strong physical resemblance to the lungs which explains why it is used to treat various respiratory problems.You could checkout the health benefits here.

You should find this in any Asian grocery store. Lotus roots is an integral part of Chinese and Japanese Cuisine too. This is how a Lotus Root look likes....

If You cut it open , this is what the cross section looks like...its simply beautiful to look at..

Ingredients:

•  2 medium sized Lotus Roots/Kamal Kakdi
•  4 small potatoes diced
•  1 cup chopped onion
•  4-5 cloves of garlic
•  1 small piece of ginger
•  1 cup chopped tomatoes
•  4-5 green chillies slit
•  1 teaspoon turmeric
•  1 teaspoon red chilli powder
•  1 teaspoon Garam Masala
•  Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoon oil and some oil for shallow frying
• 2 tablespoon Freshly chopped Cilantro

Preparation:

1. Wash and peel the Lotus roots. Cut them into thin slices. Place the sliced Lotus roots in water to avoid discoloration.

 2. Now heat some oil in a Kadai or skillet and shallow fry the sliced lotus roots for about 6-8 minutes until they turn golden brown. Add the diced potatoes and fry for another 2 minutes.

3. Make a puree of onion, ginger and garlic. Also make another puree of the tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan or a pressure cooker. Add the onion/garlic/ginger puree and saute till golden brown. Add the tomato puree and saute till the oil leaves the masala.

 4. Next add turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Add the stir fried lotus roots and potatoes. Season with salt and add garam masala. Mix well.

5. Add around 2 cups of water and pressure cook ( 2 whistles) or cook covered until cooked for around 15-20 minutes.

6. Garnish with Cilantro and serve with Parathas, Phulkas or any Indian bread of your choice.