Wash and fine chop onions. Chop or puree tomatoes. Peel and cube potatoes to ¾ inch pieces. Keep them immersed in a bowl of water until used.

Pour 2 tablespoons oil to a hot pan. When the oil becomes hot, add the optional ingredients - mustard, cumin seeds & curry leaves.

Add chopped onions & saute until they turn pink or transparent.

Stir in ginger garlic and saute for 1 to 2 mins, until a nice aroma comes out.

Next add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute until the tomatoes break down & turn soft and mushy.

Add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder & cumin powder (optional). Saute everything well for 2 to 3 minutes until the masala begins to smell good.

Drain the potatoes and add them to the pan. Saute them for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour water or light coconut milk to partially cover the potatoes.

Bring it to a boil on a medium heat. Cook covered until the potatoes are fully done or fork tender. Stir the curry in between to prevent burning.

Taste test and add more salt if needed along with kasuri methi (optional). If the potato curry is runny, open the lid and evaporate the excess liquid. If there is not enough liquid pour some hot water and bring it to consistency.

Turn off and keep the pot covered for 2 mins for the flavors to be absorbed. Garnish potato curry with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or roti.

To make this potato curry in Instant pot, dice the potatoes to 1 inch pieces so they don’t turn mushy when cooked under pressure.

Press saute button on your Instant pot and pour oil to the steel insert.

When the oil turns hot, add mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves and onions.

Saute well until the onions turn light golden & lose their raw flavor.

Then stir in ginger garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and salt.

Stir fry until tomatoes break down and turn completely mushy.

Then add all the spice powders – garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder (optional), cumin powder (optional). Sauté for 30 to 60 seconds until aromatic.

Press cancel. Add the potatoes and pour 1 cup water. Deglaze the pot with a spatula to release any bits of food stuck there.

Optionally you can also cook your rice in your instant pot by placing your rice bowl over the trivet. Use hot water to cook your rice as the cook time for this recipe is only 4 mins.

Secure the Instant pot with the lid. Press pressure cook button and set the timer to 4 minutes.

When the Instant pot is done cooking, do a quick pressure release by moving the steam vent from sealing to venting.

Potato curry is ready at this stage. If you prefer to use coconut milk, then bring the potatoes to the center of the pot with the spatula. Optional - Pour only half cup coconut milk around the edges, inside the steel insert. Cook on saute mode until the curry thickens slightly. This just takes 1 to 2 mins.

Remove the pot from the IP and add coriander leaves or Kasuri methi. Serve potato curry with rice or roti, paratha.