Pakoda Potato Kuruma

A simple yet delicious curry that will make a great combo with pulav, chapathi, dosa or rice. Potatoes and soft pakodas or Bengal gram fritters soaked in the curry filled with flavors of spices and coconut makes it a great dish. My mom usually makes this kuruma with pakodas by grind the kadalai paruppu. I also made it the same way, but for a simpler version, we can also make the pakodas with just Bengal gram flour/kadalai maavu when we are lazy for elaborated cooking.

Things needed for Kuruma
Onions - 1 no. medium sized ( Finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 no small sized ( Finely chopped)
Potato - 1 large sized ( Chopped)
Coconut - 1/2 Cup ( Grated)
Fennel seeds - 1 Tsp
Poppy seeds - 1 Tsp ( Soaked in 1 Tbsp of warm milk)
Ginger - 1 inch thick piece
Garlic pearls - 3 nos.
Green chilly - 3 nos.
Cardamon - 1 no.
Oil - 1 Tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 Tsp
Tumeric powder - a pinch
Curry leaf - Few nos.
Coriander/ Kothamalli - For garnishing
Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Cloves - 2 nos.
Cinnamon stick - Small piece
Salt - Taste


Things needed for pakoda
Bengal gram/ Kadalai paruppu - 1 Cup ( Soaked for 1-2hours)
Green chilly - 3 nos. ( Finely chopped, Can be adjusted according to taste)
Curry leaf - Few nos. ( Roughly chopped)
Coriander/ Kothamalli/ Cilantro - 1/8 Cup ( Roughly chopped)
Fennel seeds/ Saunf/ Sombu - 1 Tbsp
Ginger - 1 Tsp ( Finely grated)
Onions - 1 medium sized ( Roughly chopped)
Salt - To taste
Oil - For deep frying


To make pakodas

Grind Bengal gram with salt and very little water if needed into a coarse paste. Add onions, curry leaves, fennel seeds, coriander, green chilly, ginger  to the ground paste and mix well. Drop the batter with a spoon into the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. The pakodas can of be of any shape but of bite size. Its better to cook the pakodas just 3/4th so as to ensure easier soaking of them in the kuruma.


To make Kuruma

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaf ,cloves, cinnamon and let the seeds sizzle. Add onion, tomatoes and cook until the mixture turns mushy.  Add the potatoes to the mixture and fry it for few minutes until its 1/2 cooked. Meanwhile grind coconut, poppy seeds, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, green chilly, cardamon into a smooth paste with water. Add the ground paste to the pan and cook covered for 5 minutes or until the raw flavors of coconut leaves the mixture. Add tumeric, salt, red chilly powder, cilantor and let the curry boil for couple of minutes and turn of the heat. Now add the pakodas and cover the kuruma. Let the pakodas get soaked in the curry for atleast 15 minutes before serving.


This yummy curry goes to CWS - Poppy seeds event by Priya guest hosted by Cook like a Bong and to MLLA 28 event by Susan hosted by Divya