Cauliflower Cheese

Dum Aloo

The “dum” refers to the cooking method – letting foods cook in their own steam without using an oven. The Moghuls would seal the pot completely and put coals on the lid, but this is a more modern version, adapted from one of Madhur Jaffrey’s recipes to take less time and not be quite so fiddly (it’s still a fiddly recipe). It’s worth the effort though!

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ dice or slices
salt
1/2 oz flaked almonds
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp ground ginger
8 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
8 fl oz plain yoghurt
1 tsp garam masala

Method:

Dry fry almonds, poppy seeds, coriander and 1 tsp of cumin seeds in a small pan, stirring frequently until the almonds start to turn golden. Set aside.

Blend garlic and ginger with 3 fl oz of water in a food processor. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy wide saute pan, and fry the potatoes until they turn brown on all sides. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Add remaining cumin seeds to remaining oil in pan and stir, adding chopped onion, and fry until the onions turn a light brown. Add turmeric, and the cayenne, and fry and stir for a few seconds. Add the dry mix from the first pan, and the wet mixture from the food processor, and 3/4 tsp salt.

Stir and fry the mixture. Whenever it seems to dry up add a tbsp of yoghurt. Keeping stirring, frying, adding tbsps of yoghurt, until all the yoghurt is used (it’s important to add the yoghurt slowly). Add the garam masala and 4 fl oz of water. Mix well, and cover the pot tightly. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through, stirring occasionally but always replacing the lid. The potatoes should have a thick sauce clinging to them when they are done.