Batate Thoy

Batate thoy is a traditional Konkani side dish made with potatoes and is prepared along the lines of a dali thoy recipe. The lentils in the latter is replaced with potatoes here and made into a thin soupy or a rasam consistency. This batate thoy needs only minimal ingredients and there is not even addition of turmeric to make it look vibrant. However in spite of it's dismal looks, batate thoy makes a delicious side dish to go with rice if the dish is kept on a spicier side. 

 It can be loosely dubbed as a potato saaru or rasam though no lentils or any spice powders are used. This thoy comes handy when one runs out of vegetables or looking to make something easy and quick. The potato lends the thickness to this dish though it is kept on a thinner side. The cooked potato can be mashed very finely or coarsely if one wishes to see pieces and bits of potatoes while eating. 
Ingredients: 
1 big sized potato (About 1 cup cubed potato)
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 or 2 green chillies
1 or 2 dried red chillies, broken into bits
2 or 3 pinches of asafoetida powder
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Cilantro (optional)

Directions:
* Peel and cube the potato and cook until soft. (I cooked the potato cubes in a microwave adding about 3/4 cup water.)
* Mash the potato cubes without discarding the water used to cook. They can be either mashed finely or crumbled leaving some bits of potatoes as I did.
* Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to sizzle and pop, add chillies and saute for few seconds. Then add asafoetida and curry leaves. 
* Then add the mashed potatoes along with the water used to cook the potatoes and salt. Add some more water to make it thinner, a consistency similar to that of a rasam or thinner soup. (I added about 1 and 1/4 cups of water.)
* Bring the mixture to a boil and lower the heat. Add cilantro leaves if using and simmer for a couple of minutes more and turn off the stove.
* Serve hot with rice.

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