New! Kashmiri Dum Aloo (Steam-Cooked Potatoes) view recipe

Kashmiri Dum Aloo (Steam-Cooked Potatoes)

This gorgeous potato curry is full of surprises. The recipe is from Nik Sharma's FUNDAMENTALS OF FLAVOR, a cookbook that explores how nature's elements of fire, earth, air and water affect how we cook and how flavor is achieved. These potatoes are first boiled and then cooked on gentle heat in a silky spiced yogurt sauce. The result is achingly tender potatoes that have the most creamy texture. A stunning recipe.

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A bowl of small potatoes in a yellow curry sauce sits on a marble surface, with a partial bowl of white rice visible in the corner. - Hetty Lui McKinnon

In Nik Sharma’s words:

My parents often make this classic vegetarian dish from Kashmir and serve it with pulaos, plain rice, or flatbread. The “dum” refers to the steam created during slow cooking, which helps soften the potatoes and trap the aromatic molecules from the spices, deeply infusing the food. The starch on the surface of the potatoes gelatinizes in the sauce during cooking and holds on to the flavors more tightly.

The dish typically uses dried mawal or cockscomb flower extract, which adds a deep red color. I’ve not had much luck finding the flower where I live, so I’ve relied on Kashmiri chilli powder and paprika

Kashmiri Dum Aloo (Steam-Cooked Potatoes)

Serves

Ingredients

910 g new potatoes 1 to 1½ in [2.5 cm to 4 cm], scrubbed and rinsed
Fine sea salt
120 g plain unsweetened full-fat yogurt
35 g raw skinless cashews or almonds
4 green cardamom pods crushed
4 whole cloves
2.5 cm piece cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod crushed
1 star anise pod
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 large yellow or white onion about 14 oz [400 g], roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
55 g ghee or [60 ml] neutral vegetable oil
¼ tsp crushed kasoori methi see following

Instructions

Prick the potatoes in a few places with a fork and place them in a large saucepan or Dutch oven filled with enough water to cover them by 1 in [2.5 cm]. Stir in 1 tsp salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Don’t overcook the potatoes. Remove, drain, and keep aside to cool. Set the saucepan aside.
While the potatoes cook, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk the yogurt with ½ cup [120 ml] water. Bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, until the liquid reduces by half its volume, 6 to 8 minutes.
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cashews, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, star anise, and 1 bay leaf and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the ginger, immediately remove the pan from the heat, and transfer the spices to a high-speed blender or a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Add the yogurt mixture, onion, garlic, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, and ¼ cup [60 ml] water and blend until silky smooth.
In the large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the ghee. Add the remaining bay leaf and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the spice paste mixture and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens, loses most of the water, and the fat separates, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in 2 cups [480 ml] water, followed by the potatoes and kasoori methi. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook partially covered with a lid until the liquid thickens, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent scorching. It’s not the end of the world if the potatoes break but be gentle when stirring. Remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt. Serve hot or warm.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Tips and Variations

NIK SHARMA'S FLAVOR FILES

I didn’t use the traditional mawal flower mentioned in the headnote, as it’s difficult to source outside India. Honestly, I find the dish vibrant enough as is. But if you’d like to add a pop of red color, use 1 tsp beet powder or a few drops of natural red food coloring.
Kasoori methi, or dried fenugreek leaves, can be found online and in Indian and South Asian grocery stores. Fenugreek seeds are not a substitute as they dramatically change the dish’s flavor. If you can’t find the leaves, skip it.