Beyond Curry: Potato, Egg and Chutney Pattice Recipe

The potato gets a good workout in Indian cuisine. Our kitchens will always have a steady supply of them. It's part of the grocery list: milk, bread, and a kilo of potatoes. There are tons of dishes we make out of the humble spud and it's one of those dependable vegetables we stock up on for the sudden dinner guest.

In Indian non-vegetarian cuisine, the potato is used to absorb the flavors of the meat and spices in curry dishes or to encase delicious morsels of lamb mince or in this case, boiled eggs.

Very often, it's the potatoes that are most sought after in a biryani and the textural contrast of crisp, deep-fried potato straws over a bed of meltingly tender mutton gravy is one of life's precious experiences. After a helping of this, it's easy to understand why the potato is the only vegetable that resolute Indian non-vegetarians will care to welcome onto their table.

It is this affable, hard-working nature of the potato with meats, which makes it the only vegetable that resolute Indian non-vegetarians will welcome on their tables. One of my favorite potato side dishes is the egg, chutney (a coriander and chile relish), and potato pattice (or dumpling). It's very easy to make and can be eaten as a starter or an accompaniment to any meal. And it's even easier to have one too many!