No-nonsense potato curry

I make this curry sometimes when I am in the mood for comfort food - this is a versatile dish that can be eaten with practically anything - tacos, tortillas, pitas, rice, chapati, paratha, whatever you feel like. But it is so fast to make that my husband calls it my no-nonsense potato curry. It probably has a formal name, but I don't know what it is :)

 Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes
2 jalapenos, slit lengthwise
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup yogurt

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp oil


Masala: 1 tsp each of:
Red chilli powder
Salt
Cumin powder
Coriander powder
Garam Masala
Turmeric
Wheat flour or corn starch (to thicken gravy)

Method:
Pierce the potatoes with a fork and microwave for 5 minutes or so until baked. Depending on the wattage of your microwave, this could take more or less time. When done, peel and cube the potatoes. Mash a few pieces.
While the potatoes are baking, get your dry masalas together in a small bowl and make a paste with a little water.
Heat oil in a wok on medium-low heat and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the jalapenos and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for a few seconds until the raw smell disappears. Add the masala paste and stir for a few seconds.
Add in the yogurt slowly, stirring until the white color disappears. Add the potato pieces, stir and let cook for a minute or two.
Garnish with cilantro if desired.

It is very important to cook this in low heat, otherwise the yogurt curdles and the dish loses it's flavor and texture.

Super Fast Shaadi Wale Chole (Chickpea curry)

My friend Ajay shared this recipe with me - he calls it "Shaadi Wale Chole". At weddings, when you need to prepare large quantities of chole, chefs routinely use this recipe. It is very delicious, very fast and easy to make, and needs only about 10 minutes to prepare. I love eating this, it's a very different recipe from the traditional tomato gravy based chole and goes well with rice or chapatis.

Sometimes I make this chole in a large batch, so that we can eat them like chat the next day. Heat the chole, add chopped onions, green chilies, tomato, sev and cilantro, and some tamarind sauce, and you're good to go. Yum!

Ingredients:
Chole (Chickpeas) - 1/2 kg, soaked overnight and pressure cooked, or, just open 4 cans and rinse thoroughly.

Dry Masala:
(The following ingredients are to taste, you might have to experiment by adding a little at a time:)
Garam Masala
Chole Masala
Cumin Powder
Aamchur (Dry Mango Powder)
Salt
Red Chilli Powder

Tempering:
Boiling water - 1 cup
Vegetable Oil - 1 Tbsp
Grated Ginger - 2 tsp

Method:
In a large bowl, mix chole with all the dry masala ingredients. Pour the boiling water into the chole and mix well.
In a sauce pan, heat the vegetable oil and add the grated ginger, stir until ginger is done, takes under a minute. Pour onto the chole and stir well.

That's it, enjoy Shaadi Wale Chole :) You can store in the refrigerator for a few days if you like, it tastes even better the next day.