Potato Paal Curry / Urlaikilangu Paal Kari Recipe
An Outlook On Potato Paal Curry
Potato paal curry recipe is an authentic recipe from the Indian subcontinent and it originated from Tamil Nadu. It is a gravy type dish made of potato, peas and coconut milk.
It occupies an important place in a traditional vegetarian south Indian meal in any occasion, feast or wedding in the South. Its attractive colour and nice flavour mark it as one of the classic south Indian dishes.
Specialty Of Potato Paal Curry
Though it is a delicious and rich dish, it can be made with common ingredients and in a short span of time. It goes well with rice, roti, idiyappam, appam and dosa. Mostly it tastes extremely well with any kara kuzhambu, for example mochakottai kara kuzhambu and steamed rice. It also tastes heavenly with Idiyappam and puri.
It is a scrumptious delight for any potato and peas lover as this combination is always awesome and irresistible. And it is made more rich and creamy by adding coconut milk to it. The way it is tempered with spices doused in the aroma of coconut oil takes it to a different level. Thus, it is a remarkable example of South Indians’ culinary skills.
It can either be prepared with ordinary potato or baby potatoes. The minimal usage of spices and creamy taste of the coconut make it more appealing even to the kids. Moreover, the cashew paste adds an extra flavour to the Urulai paal curry which makes it all the more palatable and lip-smacking.
Here, I have given you the traditional way of preparing it in the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Let us see the ingredients required to prepare this delicious recipe

Ingredients Required To Make Potato Paal Curry
How To Make Potato Paal Curry
Wash and clean the vegetables and add the potatoes in a vessel and boil them for ten minutes approximately.
When it is cooked well, take it out from the stove and keep it aside. When it cools down, peel off the skin and mash it partially or dice it into cubes.
Similarly boil the peas too with a little water for 5- 7 minutes approximately until it is cooked well.
Peel off the garlic pods and crush them.
Peel off the onion and chop them into long slices.
Grate a cup of coconut and drop it in a blender and grind well by adding some water.
Strain the paste in order to get the coconut milk using a strainer.
Repeat the process twice or thrice to get 2-3 cups of coconut milk.
Transfer the coconut milk to a vessel and keep it aside.
Add the measured quantities of cashews, a teaspoon of fennel seeds and two green chillies in a blender with a little water and make a smooth paste out of it.
Keep it aside.
Heat a pan in the stove and pour two tablespoons of coconut oil in it.
Once it is heated, drop a bay leaf, a cinnamon, two cloves, two cardamoms, an anise and half a teaspoon of fennel seeds all one by one and stir well.
Let the flame be in medium mode
Now drop the crushed garlic and two slit green chillies in it.
When its flavour starts coming out, toss over the curry leaves and let it splutter.
Here you tip in the chopped onion and mix well till they become translucent.
Now you blend in the ground masala paste and sprinkle a little water in it.
Let it cook for a minute or two and when the raw smell of the masala goes off, add the required salt and mix well.
At this stage, add the mashed/diced potatoes along with the boiled peas to the pan and mix altogether.
Let it continue to cook in medium flame for about ten minutes approximately.
At last, add the coconut milk and mix thoroughly.
Simmer the flame and let it cook for two minutes.
When it reaches the desired consistency and turns aromatic, garnish it with coriander leaves and turn off the stove.
Now the urulaikizhangu paal curry is ready to eat.
Serve it with hot steamed rice with a drop of ghee, katharikkai kara kuzhambu and poricha appalam.
Useful Tips To Make Delicious Potato Paal Curry
- Choose fresh and firm potatoes to get a delicious paal curry.
- In case, if you do not have fresh green peas you can use frozen ones.
- Do not overboil the curry after adding the coconut milk as it may curdle the dish.
- Similarly, do not cook in high flame throughout the process as it may thicken the consistency of the curry.
- If you want it to be more spicy, you can just add in a few more green chillies.
- You can use this as an accompaniment even for Adai and Uthappam as well.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and clean the vegetables and add the potatoes in a vessel and boil them for ten minutes approximately.
When it is cooked well, take it out from the stove and keep it aside. When it cools down, peel off the skin and mash it partially or dice it into cubes.
Similarly boil the peas too with a little water for 5- 7 minutes approximately until it is cooked well.
Peel off the garlic pods and crush them.
Peel off the onion and chop them into long slices.
Grate a cup of coconut and drop it in a blender and grind well by adding some water.
Strain the paste in order to get the coconut milk using a strainer.
Repeat the process twice or thrice to get 2-3 cups of coconut milk.
Transfer the coconut milk to a vessel and keep it aside.
Add the measured quantities of cashews, a teaspoon of fennel seeds and two green chillies in a blender with a little water and make a smooth paste out of it.
Keep it aside.
Heat a pan in the stove and pour two tablespoons of coconut oil in it.
Once it is heated, drop a bay leaf, a cinnamon, two cloves, two cardamoms, an anise and half a teaspoon of fennel seeds all one by one and stir well.
Let the flame be in medium mode
Now drop the crushed garlic and two slit green chillies in it.
When its flavour starts coming out, toss over the curry leaves and let it splutter.
Here you tip in the chopped onion and mix well till they become translucent.
Now you blend in the ground masala paste and sprinkle a little water in it.
Let it cook for a minute or two and when the raw smell of the masala goes off, add the required salt and mix well.
At this stage, add the mashed/diced potatoes along with the boiled peas to the pan and mix altogether.
Let it continue to cook in medium flame for about ten minutes approximately.
At last, add the coconut milk and mix thoroughly.
Simmer the flame and let it cook for two minutes.
When it reaches the desired consistency and turns aromatic, garnish it with coriander leaves and turn off the stove.
Now the urulaikizhangu paal curry is ready to eat.
Serve it with hot steamed rice with a drop of ghee, katharikkai kara kuzhambu and poricha appalam.