BATATA PIYAVA SONG/SAUNG – a spicy, slightly tangy and lip smacking south Indian Konkani style onion and potato curry with a hint of cayenne or red chili powder!
Ask any south Indian Konkani especially from my hometown Mangalore what their favorite accompaniment to rice and dal is and they will definitely say it is this dish! That delicious and tempting!
My family, having traveled and lived in many parts of India and USA has amalgamated and assimilated all the cuisines that we have been exposed to over the years.
But when it comes to comfort food which satisfies the soul, we always reach out to our traditional Konkani cuisine!
We enjoy are pizzas as much as we relish Mexican cuisine or our family favorite Indo-Chinese cuisine! Now that my sons are living in US, they are into Korean, Thai and Japanese cuisine too!
But my husband and I sometimes want just some simple dal or dalithoy as we call it in Konkani cuisine and a simple stir fry like Poddale/Snake Gourd upkari or Fresh Green Beans Upkari.
But the clincher that makes this simple meal more lip smacking is this spicy and delightful Batata Piyava Song/Saung (I have no idea why it is called "song" or "saung"! If anybody knows, I would love to know about it)!
WHAT IS BATATA PIYAVA SONG/SAUNG?
“Batata” is basically potatoes and "piyavu” is onions in our language Konkani.
So this recipe, passed on to me from my mother (she got it from hers) is a simple potato and onion curry, spiced with just red chili powder or cayenne pepper powder and a dash of tamarind juice/paste for that slight tang to offset the fiery heat of the chili powder!
Chopped onions and boiled potato cubes are cooked in just these two flavoring ingredients to end up as this lip smacking and mouthwatering simple curry that can be the piece de resistance of any meal!
Minimal on ingredients but a whopper of a taste!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS SOUTH INDIAN DELIGHT:
Onions – you can use red, white or even yellow onions but not the sweet variety; it is more of a spicy and savory curry here!
Potatoes – use any variety but it should be boiled until just cooked and still a bit firm.
Spices – mustard seeds (we use black mustard seeds which are available in any Indian store or online) and red chili powder or cayenne pepper powder.
As spice loving Indians, we love the spicy variety of chili powder but if you are not into too much heat in your curries, use Kashmiri red chili powder which is a unique chili that gives a deep red color to any curry without imparting too much heat!
(For a slight variation to these simple flavors, feel free to stir in some freshly ground coriander powder along with chili powder or even homemade sambar powder or any of your favorite curry powder: I did not add any here).
Flavorings – a dash of tangy tamarind paste or tamarind juice (if you are using fresh tamarind) adds this zing to the curry and also tones down the heat or spicy hue of this dish.
Coconut oil – coconut oil is the traditional oil we use in all our Konkani dishes but if you cannot find it, any cooking oil is also good.
Optional - You can add any veggie like capsicum/bell pepper, green peas etc. to enhance the veggie portion and I did just that recently.
I have even used seasonal drumsticks or moringa sticks to amp up the flavor and add texture to the curry!
With a delicious homegrown capsicums in our garden, I had to add that too once in my favorite potato curry . Just add it a few minutes before removing the dish from the stove in order not to overcook.
It came out super delicious with the additional crunch and flavor of bell peppers/capsicum fresh from my garden!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
A simple Konkani meal or thali will consist of hot steaming rice, a simple dal like dalithoy and a fresh veggie stir fry like Poddale Upkari (snake gourd stir fry), but to spice up the whole meal, our favorite curry is always Batata Piyava Song!
You can enjoy this simple south Indian, vegan and gluten free Konkani style Batata Piyava Song/Saung with any meal or even as side dish with rotis, parathas, puris or even in masala dosais etc. too!
I have even used it as a sandwich filling whenever we have leftovers; grilled or as a fresh sandwich!
If you do make this lip smacking Potato and Onion curry, please leave a comment below and rate it . I would love to hear from you.
Here are some more spicy curries you can rustle up in your kitchen:
- Chatpata Aloo Tuk
- Aloo Gobi
- Bharwan Baingan/Stuffed Eggplant Curry to name some.
Here is how I made Batata Piyava Song/Saung:
A spicy, slightly tangy and lip smacking south Indian onion and potato curry with a hint of cayenne or red chili powder!
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized onions, peeled and sliced or chopped into large cubes
- 2 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and chopped into cubes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or any cooking oil)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 to 2 teaspoons red chili powder/cayenne powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (or 1 small marble sized fresh tamarind, soaked in ¼ cup of water)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop onions either into long slices or cut into large cubes.
- Boil potatoes until just cooked and still firm. Peel and chop into cubes.
- If using fresh tamarind, soak in water for about 10 to 15 minutes and then squeeze the soaked tamarind in the soaked water to get the tamarind juice. Discard the pulp.
- Heat coconut oil in a large deep kadai or saucepan.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter and crackle. Keep the lid on so that you do not have spluttering mustard seeds all over!
- As soon as they have crackled, add the chopped/sliced onions and sauté on medium heat for a few seconds.
- Stir in red chili powder and mix well. Fry on medium heat, stirring often until the onions are slightly roasted and turn a bit soft; about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add chopped potatoes along with either the tamarind paste or tamarind water (just a couple of tablespoons) along with salt to taste.
- Give it a good mix and cook this mixture on medium heat, covered for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring in between.
- After 3 to 4 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook with the lid removed for another 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are fried and the flavors have infused themselves into the whole curry.
- Adjust the amount of salt and if needed add more tamarind.
- Remove from heat and serve hot with some hot steamed rice and dal or even as a side dish with any Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, puris etc.!
- Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!
Notes
Adjust the amount of red chili powder and tamarind according to personal taste.
If you are not into spicy food, just add some red Kashmiri chili powder which not only gives a subtle heat but adds more red color to the dish.
For a slight variation on this Konkani delight, stir in ground coriander powder along with the red chili powder.
Make sure the potatoes are just cooked until soft. Over cooking of potatoes will give a mushy curry!
Adjust the ratio of onions to potatoes as per your family preference.
Feel free to add any vegetable along with onions and potatoes for a variation like either capsicum/bell peppers, green peas or even drumsticks or moringa sticks (when in season) etc.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BATATA PIYAVA SONG/SAUNG:
PREPPING THE INGREDIENTS:
Peel and chop onions either into long slices or cut into large cubes.
Boil potatoes until just cooked and still firm. Peel and chop into cubes.
If using fresh tamarind, soak in water for about 10 to 15 minutes and then squeeze the soaked tamarind in the soaked water to get the tamarind juice. Discard the pulp.
TO MAKE BATATA PIYAVA SONG:
Heat coconut oil in a large deep kadai or saucepan.
Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter and crackle. Keep the lid on so that you do not have spluttering mustard seeds all over!
As soon as they have crackled, add the chopped/sliced onions and saute on medium heat for a few seconds.
Stir in red chili powder and mix well. Fry on medium heat, stirring often until the onions are slightly roasted and turn a bit soft; about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add chopped potatoes along with either the tamarind paste or tamarind water along with salt to taste.
Give it a good mix and cook this mixture on medium heat, covered for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring in between.
After 3 to 4 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook with the lid removed for another 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are fried, moisture is all gone and the flavors have infused themselves into the whole curry.
In between, adjust the amount of salt and if needed add more tamarind.
Remove from heat and serve hot with some hot steamed rice and dal or even as a side dish with any Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, puris etc.!
Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!
Time to PIN/SAVE or SHARE here:
Join the party at Angie's Fiesta Friday with co-host Antonia @Zaole.com
If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page
For more such easy and delicious recipes, follow me on:
Facebook @ curryandvanilla
Pinterest @ curryandvanilla
Instagram @ curryandvanilla16
Twitter @ curryandvanilla
Google Plus @ Vanitha Bhat
Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!
“I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees (helps in running the blog) by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
Hey!! I love batata song , it can take any simple meal to another level. But we usually make corn song and my husband just loves it. Not sure if you have tried it, if you haven’t you should definitely give it go.
What a beautiful dish! It looks delicious, and I adore potatoes and onions! Thank you for sharing at Fiesta Friday!