Alur Tok Ghonto

This is a wonderfully unfussy Bengali potato dish that gets a surprising amount of personality from a handful of ingredients. Baby potatoes are marinated in tangy curd, vinegar, onion and ginger, then cooked in mustard oil until the marinade clings to them and turns lightly caramelised. The result is a little sweet, a little sour, gently hot and gloriously mustardy. Basically, proof that potatoes don't always need a complicated gravy to have a good time.

Ingredients

• 500 g baby potatoes

• 100 g thick curd, whisked

• 1 tbsp vinegar

• 2 tbsp onion paste

• 1 tsp ginger paste

• 2 tbsp mustard oil

• 1 green chilli, finely chopped

• 2 tsp sugar

• Salt, to taste

Method

Prepare the potatoes
Wash the baby potatoes thoroughly and place them in a pot of salted water.
Parboil until they are just tender but still firm enough to hold their shape.
Drain and allow them to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes.

Marinate
Place the peeled potatoes in a bowl.
Add the whisked curd, vinegar, onion paste, ginger paste, sugar, salt and chopped green chilli.
Gently mix until the potatoes are evenly coated.
Cover and allow them to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Cook the potatoes
Heat the mustard oil in a wide kadai over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the marinated potatoes along with any remaining marinade.
Cook gently, turning the potatoes occasionally so they brown evenly and the marinade cooks onto their surface.
Continue cooking until the potatoes develop a deep golden exterior and the excess moisture has cooked away.
The curd and onion marinade should cling to the potatoes, forming a lightly caramelised coating.
Taste and adjust the salt and sweetness if required.
Serve hot.