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Musallam in a jiffy
Presenting the alu-pyaaz quick-fix
musallam, which is sure to delight you
 Musallam
is a special celebratory dish — a delicacy that keeps the
principal ingredient intact — murg, bakra, or if legend is to
be given credence, even a camel in Arabia. The vegetarians make do
with gobhi or lauki musallam. What tempted us to try it
with the potato is the jumbo alu that caught our eye on the grocer’s
shelf. Enquiries revealed that these are the surplus downloaded at the
subzi mandi by the producers, who have leftovers after the
prized customers, the multi-national chips makers and veg-burger patty
vendors. The subziwala took pains to assure us that these were
not ‘seconds’ or rejects but bounties received from an
over-abundant crop.
Well, we know well that
the quality control department has to justify its existence. To
come to the point, we didn’t require much persuasion. The bloated,
Humpty Dumpty look-alike pedigreed potato`A0was certainly not flawed
but was packed with goodness. Then, popped up the question of what
spice treatment should be given to it. Kashmiri or Benarasi dum
recipes seemed too demanding and time consuming, so we settled for the
everyday alu-pyaaz quick fix. False modesty is not our strong point
and we have no hesitation in proclaiming that the alu made a stellar
debut.
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Alu
musallam
Ingredients
 Potatoes
(extra large, 1 or 2
approximately 200
gm)
Cloves 3-4
Bay leaf one
Green cardamom one
Piece of cinnamon
1/2 inch
Onion (large,
peeled one
and sliced thinly)
Garlic-ginger
paste 1 tbsp
Dhania powder 1
tsp
Jeera powder 1 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Kashmiri lal mirch
powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 1/2 cup
Whole red chilli
one
(wiped clean)
A large sprig of
hara dhania
Salt to taste
Method
Wash the potato but don’t
remove the skin. Parboil and prick all over with a toothpick or
fork, ensuring that you don’t break the alu. Insert the
cloves.
Now heat oil in
a pan and fry the potato gently darkening it a little. Add the
onions, along with the bay leaf, whole and powdered spices and
then the ginger-garlic paste, frying till onions are a golden
brown in colour. Sprinkle over with little water to avoid
scalding. The gravy should have a sauce-like consistency and
glowing amber hue. The alu should be done in about 10 minutes.
If a microwave is handy, the potato can be nuked in 3 minutes.
Remove the musallam alu to a
plate and pour the rich gravy on top. Garnish with whole red
chilli and hare dhania. Slice half of the potato like you would
a joint of meat and pair it with roti or parantha. Delightful.
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