Dahi Ke Aloo (Potato and Yogurt Soup) for Navratri and a guest post on Eat Live Run

By
Prerna Singh
-
Potato and yogurt soup

That time of year is here again. Back home this was the time when monsoon would begin to wave a bye bye. After days and weeks of playing hide and seek, sun would finally decide to show up and umbrellas would go back to the closet giving way to woolen pullovers and shawls. This would tell its time for festivals and celebrations. And right now we are in the middle of one such celebration or as someone recently said, “in the middle of celebration of mother!”. The time when we celebrate Maa the embodiment of strength, knowledge, prosperity, nurture and Shakti. For nine days we celebrate that mother – the reason for our very being! At the end of nine days, we do a small pooja at home and invite little girls over to our house for a treat and pooja meal. I wrote a whole post on pooja meal last year.

Yogurt and potato soup with toasty bread

Today I did the same. Cooked a simple meal for the little girls who are considered goddesses. I made some traditional dishes and here is the recipe for one today. This is something very simple, goes well with the pooja meal because it doesn’t ask for strong spices, onion or garlic and as my husband says, its very carby. So perfect for a meal after a day of fasting.

Potatoes

Ok, raise your hand if you don’t like potatoes … everyone loves potatoes! At least I do, or maybe I like them a little more than I should but I don’t regret it. As a child I was the pickiest eater and potato was the only vegetable I could eat (does that count as a true vegetable?). But now that I am past that phase, potatoes still remain a favorite because you can do so much with them. Especially in Indian cooking when you can make something as royal as a Mughlai Aloo Dum or a simple stir fry, potatoes will always shine. The recipe I am sharing today is one such recipe.

Dahi ke aloo

Dahi is hindi for yogurt and Aloo means potatoes. When potatoes are cooked in tangy and creamy yogurt with few simple spices they become Dahi Ke Aloo. I call it potato and yogurt soup. My mom serves it with hot and crisp fresh out of the griddle rotis, I served it with some fresh baguettes.

But if you want to take it up a notch then serve them with nice and crisp parathas (pan fried flatbreads). Even better if you do it with lachha paratha. A layered and flaky Indian flatbread which is pan fried in some ghee and is in itself an art form! I am guest posting today on my dear friend Jenna’s beautiful blog Eat Live Run and there I made some lachha paratha for you. Go check it out! But again, whatever you call this soup or whichever way you serve them, they still remain classic comfort food and an easy quick fix dish.

Ingredients: (As I guest posted on Veggy Belly)
4 medium size potatoes (boiled, peeled)
2 cups yogurt (room temperature)
2 cups water
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes (a little extra if you want to garnish)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil (extra to drizzle on top of your soup)

Method:
Mash the potatoes. Thoroughly mash one and mash the others to bite size pieces. Set aside.
In a bowl whisk together yogurt and water leaving no lumps.
Heat oil in a medium size pot. Add cumin seeds. Once they start to pop, add turmeric and coriander powder.
Mix the spices together and add potatoes immediately. Mix spices well with the potatoes.
Stir in the thinned yogurt. Mix it well together with the potatoes.
Wait till the soup comes to a nice rolling boil and then add salt.
You can serve it hot. I like mine lukewarm with some extra virgin olive oil drizzled and some red pepper flakes sprinkled on top.

To all my friends who celebrate, wishing you all Shubh Navratri!

Prerna Singh
http://www.indiansimmer.com

27 Comments

  2. I love a paratha, Prerna! And double yes to the potato soup too.

    Quick question – aside from the layer, is there any other difference between the normal paratha and lachha paratha? I often see our roti being served in the crispy layered form where they fold the bread into a square before they pan fry them. What caught my eyes was you did yours into a spiral. Supposed there are various ways of making layered rotis? It’s definitely an art form & I’d love to try it at home some day.

  4. Thanks Prerna, for the information- I also posted this comment on honest cooking then i realised it was already on your blog…. Let me give this recipe a shot then I will get back to you on how it turned out. Thanks again!

  5. Hi Suchi, thanks for the feedback and question!
    If you add chickpea flour to the yogurt then it will become more like kadhi and not dahi ke aloo. To keep your yogurt from splitting do not add salt until the yogurt is boiled and do so only once its done boiling. Salt is the reason why yogurt splits as soon as it boils at high temperature. So add salt in the end when boiled thinned yogurt settles.

  6. Hi there, I loved the recipe- but my cooking instinct says that if you bring yoghurt to a rolling boil, it will split and give a real sour taste. If the dish requires a rolling boil I generally add a spoon of chickpea flour/besan so that yoghurt remains intact. else, i tend to take it off flame as soon as a bubble or two appears… Are you sure, this dish was intact even after the rolling boil of yoghurt?????

  7. Hey girl, love the first and the last shots. You’ve tempted me with the idea of serving this delicious veggie in a cup, so comforting ah. Seasonal greetings, my friend!

  8. Yess…everyone adores potatoes!!! This is a satisfying & easy recipe..Would love to give it a shot sometime soon!!!Shubh Navartri to u too 🙂
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

  11. Such an interesting recipe! Love the flavours! I am definitely making this 🙂 Will probably skip the chili flakes as my little goddess can’t take any heat 😉
    Sounds like a good accompaniment for steamed rice also!

  15. I somehow am not able to post with my name…..eating indian curries with some crusty bread is a very great idea!..i love it!..love the clicks too!…u have a wonderful blog Prerna!

    Smitha of Smitha’s Spicy Flavors and Smitha JOga of FB 🙂

  17. I was about to write that this soup will go so well along with some crusty bread,only to realize that it’s a Navratri special post.Hey wait,but why just Navratri,great soups can be had all throughout the year!
    Thank you for sharing Prerna.Snaps are gorgeous,as always.:-)

  18. *Raises Hand* I love potatoes! And I love potato soups. This sounds so full of flavor, and just delicious:-) Thank you for sharing a little about the soup, I love learning something new about food:-) Take care, Terra

  25. How gorgeous, Prerna. I love how warm and down to earth this recipe is. The roti looks amazing, but I also love your idea of serving with baguettes. Fusion at its best.

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