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28
Basil-infused Potato and Peas Curry …
July 28, 2008 |
… and HOW TO GROW A POTATO
In spring, when the temps reach around 60F, get hold of one like this. Cut it into three or four pieces with an ‘eye’ on each piece. Or buy seed potatoes from your nursery (these are dusted with nitrogen). If they have ‘eyes’, cut them up as well. Else, use them whole. Have some cardboard boxes ready. The roots spread out and get crowded quickly, so have as many boxes as you have pieces.
Fill the box about halfway with soil and dig each piece into a separate box. You can plant them directly in the ground if you wish, if you don’t mind digging for a long long time for new potatoes. With a cardboard box you simply tear it apart, and pull out the potatoes as the soil falls in a heap.
Water the soil and keep pulling out the lower leaves and filling the box with soil as the plant grows taller. Eventually, after a couple of months, it will grow 2 to 3 feet tall and may even start flowering.
Gently put your hand into the soil and feel around the roots for potatoes. Take them out without damaging the roots or disturbing the soil too much, then pat the soil back into place and leave the plant alone to produce more tubers.
In our desert environment, potato plants need deep watering daily. After 2 months, we found several in the three varieties we had planted.
Left to right: Purple, baby Yukon Golds and Red Potatoes
We saw this vegan recipe for creamy potato and peas curry and had to make it, ‘cos we had potatoes, peas and basil in our garden.
We made a few changes as we went along, and were blown away by the fusion of Thai and Indian flavours. Creamy, fragrant, fantastic. Thank you, dear Vaishali.
BASIL-INFUSED POTATO AND PEAS CURRY
3 cups chopped potatoes (we used baby Yukon Golds)
1/3 cup cashews, chopped or whole, soaked for 15 minutes and wiped dry
1 cup green peas (thaw if frozen)
2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
**or 1 cup chopped tomato
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp each cayenne and coriander powders
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp aniseeds
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
***or equal parts of powdered clove, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2 can (about 7 oz.) of canned low-fat coconut milk (about 1 cup)
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
about 10 basil or Thai basil leaves
1. Heat the oil and add the aniseeds. When they sizzle, add the drained and dried cashews and potatoes.
2. Add a dash of salt and fry until the potatoes are 3/4 done.
3. Then add the tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water. If using fresh tomato, chop it and cook it down in the microwave partially covered on high for 4 minutes, then add it to the pan.
4. Add all the powdered spices and coat the potatoes with them. After about 3 minutes, add the fresh peas and coconut milk. (If using frozen and thawed peas, add at the very end).
5. Add salt to taste and simmer until the sauce thickens and the potatoes and peas are cooked. Depending on how sour your tomatoes are, you may need to add some tamarind paste a few minutes from the end or lime juice at the very end. We didn’t need to.
6. Add the torn basil leaves, reserving a couple for garnish, and serve with rice or flatbreads.
The basil that no one planted.
We planted four Sweet (Genovese) Basil saplings. One died, the other three struggled to survive. This one showed up in the gravel - probably from last year’s seed - and took root without soil or water to mock the other three.
Basil-infused Potato and Peas Curry is our entry for Herb Mania: Basil @ Ammalu’s Kitchen …
and for Srivalli’s Curry Mela.
Basil/Thai basil, Cashew, Coconut, GARDENING, Peas, Potato, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
Never seen potato flowers before - very pretty. And the curry sounds delicious.
Like the addition of cashew nuts in this recipe. Also the fourth picture.
I am loving those flavors. Looks and sounds too good!
I kinda like the marriage of basil and garam masala. Thanks a lot for the entry!
You will be soooo proud of me. And if not, well, I am still proud of me. On Sunday, I went chop-chop with one potato that looked kinda like your potato up there. And into a cardboard box, it went. If it’s as easy as you say it is, then at least one should survive, ya?! Maybe not. Cos the temps are at 90F and I did this?
Oh and should you be adding to the potato population in Idaho?
dear no name, yes, i am proud of you. but you need a name. 90F is fine. we are in the 100s now. we rarely get local potatoes, so it’s time we grew some.
Now you make some batter with gram flour… mash up the leftover curry… heat some oil… dip small portions of the mashed curry in the gram flour batter and drop in the hot oil!!!!!!!!!
sigh. what a waste of good potatoes.
Aww man, you got a volunteer basil?!? *jealous* So I am going to ask a stupid question because despite having grown tons of herbs while living in So Cal (um, b/c anything grows there even if you are an idiot) I really don’t know much about gardening… Do you mean when the temps reach 60F on the way up or on the way down (meaning Spring or Fall)? I’m anxious to try this
on the way up. (i’ve amended the post.) it’s easy. try it.
i so wish i had the little-st space for growing tubers!! the only thing i have now is curry leaves and ginger.
You can grow potatoes in cardboard boxes? This is something I can try, maybe. I do have some budding potatoes lying about on and off.:)
Just one question. Don’t the cardboard boxes become wet and soggy from watering?
if you don’t douse the box too much, it should be fine. ours gets doused in sprinkler water and it’s still fine. just don’t try to move it.
So you are going to be cooking for a party?
Mmmm…sounds delicious. And what are you serving them with ? Does the photo shows a kitchen towel or Injera/dosai ? And I know Sra would love cashew in any curry
that’s a tomato tortilla.
the flavours in this dish sound amazing…..
“The basil that no one planted”
Love it!! Such lil’ surprises are always so welcome!
Yummy curry, btw!
I always love it when you guys make curry
It looks really, really delicious, I’m thankful it’s dinnertime so my grumbling stomach can be silenced!
The curry looks lovely. I ended up making potato,cauliflower and peas curry over the weekend, had basil on hand and no cilantro, but was not brave enough to try the combo as I was catering to 6 other hungry mouths. This looks so yummy.
Our CSA group just got a last basket for the season including Yukon Gold potatoes and a big bunch of Thai Basil from Tecolote Farm here in Central Texas. I sent the group a copy of your recipe to try along with a link to your wonderful website so they can all share the love. Hope you don’t mind..
And thanks for the “grow potatoes in a box” technique. So much healthier and easier than growing them in old tires( which eventually release toxins into the soil). I intend to sprout a few potatoes and try it out.
Bee and Jai, So happy you tried the curry– I love the addition of garam masala and will try it that way the next time I make this. I too was surprised initially that the basil worked as well as it did with the Indian flavors.
Thanks for the wonderful guide to growing potatoes- I’m a relative novice at gardening and have tried growing a few veggies, but never potatoes. Now I think I will.
Thank you to share the cardboard method, I tried some directly in soil but what a hard job to pull it out! I admire ur gardening interest !
Love ur curry with basil
wow..that looks lovely…thought you are sending me this curry for the mela…:(
What a super cool way to plant potatoes! This is genius!
That curry looks great by the way! YUM
beautiful! will try my hand at growing potatoes
the veg looks very good, coconut makes eveything d-lish, imo
amazing produce you have there:-) I love the potato peas curry..great info on growing potatoes..
beautiful…
I haven’t seen this plant before..Nice one..
Wow! I will take some gardening lessons from you soon. I know the potato sprouts are poisonous. Are the leaves poisonous too? Shall we put those leaves in compost piles?
yes, the leaves have solanine.
I’ve never seen potatoes grown this way before, but how clever — and how easy to harvest! I love to buy potatoes in several colors and mix them in a potato salad. Now I’m off to find some cardboard boxes. I think my grandkids will love to grow potatoes!
I love the basil that nobody planted. My basil-growing skills are nil, partly due to the fact that I have to keep the pot inside. Anyway, love all the photos and the recipe, as usual.
That multi-eyed potato reminded me of when I was kid and had to go in the basement for basement. I’d always get all freaked out by those eyes that would grab you back!
I’m over it now though, and would really appreciate a bowl of that lovely basil infused potato and peas curry.
What a fantastic idea for growing potatoes! For some (nonsensical) reason, I have never considered potatoes a ‘container’ plant. I will definitely be trying this next spring…
Yummy looking curry..:)
Siri
Sounds so fragrant and delicious. I’m always torn between Thai and Indian curries. I want to try them all.
Thanks for all that info. I like the idea of growing in a box. I think this should work out well in our window grille too! Love also the way your have used the rotis as a prop!
I can virtually taste those flavors from here… I never had a clue that potatoes can be grown in carton boxes! Idaho is famous for its potatoes right? have you been to any such farms over there?
You gusy are simply amazing! so who from the 2 of you actually does all the gardening, eh?:D the curry looks great, but the potato-flowers have causght my eyes!
j is the gardener.
The curry looks lip smacking good, now I have to buy some fresh Basil asap!!!!
The Basil which no one planted? I wish that would grow in my backyard, then I would have Basil at my beck and call.
I save my sprouted spuds by cutting them up for fabric art..while my mom creates a bonsai…
Growing them in cardboard boxes is a novel idea…..
I can only sigh looking at those potatoes. Some day, when I get a large patio/back yard…
love your potatoes - am curious to see how you use the purple potatoes - are they the ones with the purple flowers
and doesn’t that stray basil plant say a lot about the vagaries of gardening!
not all of the plants bloomed. and i didn’t check. so i am not sure right now. -j
Hey bee first time im lookin at a potato plant and flower. very nice infor of how to grow potato. lucky u to have home grown veggies.
The curry looks nice.
Wow! I crave to do gardening after I read most of your posts… Sitting in a super high rise apartment building with no balcony..
Thanks for the write up on growing potatoes. I will give it a try as soon as we get a garden space.
Potato flowers - who would have thought! And I love the idea of planting in a cardboard box rather than digging up your whole garden in a frantic search for potatoes. The curry sounds fantastic and the pictures are, as always, gorgeous.
Made this. Super delicious!!
Quick question - I’ve planted the potatoes in the boxes and waiting for them to grow. You’ve mentioned that you can just pull the box apart and let the soil fall when you want to get the potatoes. Do you then re-plant or does it remain in the soil but just not in the box?
Thanks - just wasn’t sure what to do with the box when it came time to “harvest” the potatoes.
one you harvest the potatoes, that’s it. you can’t replant them. you can try, but we have a short season.
Thanks!
what a recipe with basil!and what an idea to grow potatoes in cardboard box!! Amazing!!
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