Tandoori Tawa Masala Aloo (Potatoes with Tandoori Spices)

This is a quick and easy potato dish.These potatoes laced with tangy tomato paste, thick yogurt, garlic and spices are delicious and make for a great  side dish. I even make sandwiches  using the leftover vegetable filled inside a crusty bread or fill them up in a pita pocket with hummus for a quick dinner. The marinade can be used for other other tandoori flavored dishes like paneer, cauliflower, and mushrooms. It is simple and (almost) healthy.


Ingredients

5-6 medium sized potatoes boiled and chopped into big chunks or 10-12 red baby potatoes boiled and halved

For the marinade
5-large cloves of garlic grated
1/4 cup thick Greek yogurt
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons coriander cumin powder
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons fennel powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
2 teaspoons tandoori masala or garam masala
salt to taste

For tempering
1/2 teaspoon each of mustard, cumin and fennel seeds, kalonji pinch of hing, 2 slit green chillies and 5-6 curry leaves

One tablespoon olive oil and one teaspoon ghee for cooking

Method

Mix all the ingredients of the marinade in a large bowl. Add the boiled potatoes in it. Mix well and let it sit for about half and hour. Heat a non stick pan and add oil and a teaspoon of ghee to it. Once it heats up add the mustard, cumin, fennel seeds and kalonji. Cover the pan as the seeds will splutter. Add the green chillies, curry leaves and hing. Now  slide the potatoes in the pan. Let the potatoes get slightly brown on the edges and the raw smell of spices disappear. Just before serving garnish with cilantro.