Speak of some specialities of Andhra cuisine and immediately one conjures up images of ‘pulusu’. Pulusu is basically a tamarind based sauce in which vegetables, meat and seafood are cooked and you will come across quite a few delicacies with that tangy and sweet-sour flavor being served in most authentic Andhra restaurants.

For JFI-Potato, I’m blogging a simple pulusu recipe made with potatoes. Usually baby potatoes go best with this recipe but since I didn’t have them on hand, I had to make do with the normal ones. They are many variations to the basic tamarind base with each region having their own methods and tastes and it sure does take some experience to master a good pulusu.

Bangaladumpa Pulusu Recipe
Prep & Cooking: 40 mts
Serves: 4-5 persons
Cuisine: Andhra

Ingredients:
1/2 kg potatoes, boiled and cubed
2 onions, make a coarse paste
1 slit green chilli
2 tomatoes, make a paste
pinch of haldi, turmeric
1 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust)
1 tbsp jaggery (adjust according to your choice)
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
small lemon sized tamarind, extract juice
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
For tempering/tadka/poppu:
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillis
3-4 crushed garlic cloves
few curry leaves

1) Heat oil in a cooking vessel, once hot, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle, add the garlic, red chillis and curry leaves, stir fry for a few seconds.
2) Add the slit green chilli and onion paste and fry till brown. You have to fry till the rawness of onions disappears. Add turmeric, red chilli pwd, coriander pwd and cumin pwd and combine.
3) Add tomatoes and cook further for 4-5 mts, till oil seperates.
4)Add the boiled potato cubes, jaggery and salt and cook for another 3-4 mts.
5) Add the tamarind extract along with a cup of water and let it cook covered on medium heat for another 10 mts.
6)Adjust salt, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice or chapatis.

Kitchen Note:
Use baby potatoes to prepare this recipe. Ensure you prick a fork into the boiled baby potatoes before adding to the cooked onion-tomato base.

Thanks to Shailaja