Kashmiri Dum Aloo,Cardamom Tofu Curry,Mughlai

Kashmiri Dum Aloo
There’s nothing more comforting than meltingly-soft potatoes
enveloped in creamy, spicy-sweet sauce – even when it’s dinner
for one at the Modha residence.
Nobody likes cooking for one, do they? For me, it’s a tedious
task knowing I’m the only one who will get to sample my
efforts. I’m a feeder – I come from a long line of feeders who
taught one another to feed others until they could eat no
more. Like my mum, I’ll make dinner by the bucket load
regardless of whether I’m feeding one mouth or ten. It’s most
definitely in our blood.
I understand this is the case for lots of Indian girls who are
told from a young age that finding the perfect husband
involves filling his belly with spicy food, carbs and sugar.
Either it’s the way to a heart or the way to heart problems –
I forget which one.
That’s not to say I started cooking to find a fella. Hell, I
started cooking because I was an eight-year old chubster with
a penchant for pasta. It just so happened that the future Mr
K.O (yes, I got engaged!) loves eating as much as I do. In
fact, Kashmiri Dum Aloo was one of the first dishes we shared
together in my favourite Indian restaurant. And anyone who
knows how to feed me, the Feeder, is a keeper.
Enough about me, more about the food
This dish should be slow-cooked with a lid on. An old school
trick to stop any steam escaping is to seal the lid with a
ring of wheat flour dough. This type of cooking is known as
dum cooking. Dum simply means ‘warm breath’ to connote the
steam inside the pot. Once cooked, the dough seal is broken
and the beautiful aromas are released – of course, the bread
is eaten along with the curry. However, if you don’t fancy
doing that, you can use a cartouche to lock in any moisture. A
cartouche is just a round lid made of greaseproof paper that’s
placed directly on top of the food in the pot to slow down the
reduction of moisture in cooking.
The balance of spices in this dish will depend on your taste
and varies from recipe to recipe. My version mainly uses dried
red Kashmiri chillies, ground fennel seeds, ground ginger and
green and black cardamom. This deep combination of spices is
balanced by the use of tomato purée and either single cream or
yoghurt. Don’t hold back on seasoning this with plenty of salt
and sugar – they truly bring the spices to life.
Kashmiri Dum Aloo
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
450g new potatoes (I used Jersey Royals), leave the skin on
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp concentrated tomato purée
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
270ml water
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
300ml single cream or whisked plain yoghurt
2 tsp honey
Oil to deep fry the potatoes
For the spices:
½ tsp green cardamom seeds, ground
2 tsp fennel seeds, ground, plus 1 extra tsp for adding at the
end
4 dried red Kashmiri chillies, ground (don’t bother soaking
them)
½ tsp black cardamom seeds, ground
½ tsp cumin seeds, ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Chopped coriander, ground fennel and Kashmiri chilli flakes to
garnish
Method
1. Wash and soak the potatoes in cold, salted water for 15
minutes. Drain and pat dry.
2. Heat enough oil to deep fry the potatoes in a large wok to
around 180°C. Fry the potatoes until golden all over. Don’t
worry about cooking them all the way through at this point.
Drain on a piece of kitchen paper and set aside.
3. In a large casserole dish, Dutch oven or pan with a tightfitting lid, gently heat 1 tbsp oil. Add all of the ground
spices, concentrated tomato purée, fresh ginger and garlic.
Cook on a medium/low heat for around 5 minutes, stirring all
the time. If you find it’s sticking, add a little hot water
and continue to cook until the water has evaporated away and
the spices are aromatic.
4. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, 270ml hot water, salt and
sugar. Stir. Add the potatoes and mix again.
5. Make a cartouche or cut a round of greaseproof paper to the
size of the inside of your pan. Sit it directly on top of the
curry and put a lid on top of the pan.
6. Turn the heat down to the lowest it can go and cook for at
least 30 minutes or until the potatoes are meltingly tender.
7. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the lid and cartouche.
Turn the heat off and allow the curry to cool for 10 minutes.
Add the honey and cream or yoghurt, stirring quickly and all
the time until it’s fully combined. Stir in the extra 1 tsp
ground fennel seeds.
8. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander, ground fennel and
Kashmiri chilli flakes.
I like to serve this with Saffron Golden Sella Basmati Rice
(I'll post a recipe soon!) and either Peshwari Naan or
chapattis.
This is great if you’re planning on satisfying and impressing
lots of hungry tummies, or in need of comfort when cooking for
one (scoff any leftovers the next day).
Love Sanjana
Cardamom Tofu Curry
I stuffed myself with Palak Paneer last night. I feel terrible
about it and actually had a bit of trouble sleeping. I think
it’s time to give that beautiful cheese a break (at least for
a little while, anyway).
On The Rebound
What’s a girl to do when she’s decided to cut the one true
love out of her life?
Then it dawned on me; I’m going to replace paneer with
something similar, something I won’t feel as guilty about. Hi
tofu, remember me? We used to have a healthy relationship
before I lost all my inhibitions to full-fat Indian cottage
cheese.
Simple Infusions
If you ever asked me what my favourite spice was, I think I’d
probably cry. There are so many to choose from and limitless
possibilities in terms of creating breathtaking new flavours.
Cardamom is one of those spices that’s never really at the
forefront of a curry. Well let me tell you something, it
really should be given the chance. A combination of both green
and black cardamoms impart musky flavours that are so
characteristic of the spice, to a simple curry. They are the
shining stars of this dish.
Somewhat unconventionally, I adopted the western method of
infusing single cream with the spices to get out of them, the
most subtle flavours possible. I then strained the lightly
crushed spices out of the cream with a tea strainer, leaving
behind a perfectly smooth cardamom-scented cream to add to my
luxurious tomato sauce.
Balance
Everyone knows tofu can’t be classed as real food unless it’s
drowned in something mouth-wateringly flavourful (sorry, it’s
true). In this curry, intense black cardamoms impart a smoky
base flavour to hold up the fragrant menthol notes of the more
liberally used green cardamoms. Equilibrium. Is. Everything.
I thought about adding vegetables to this but why ruin a
perfectly balanced dish with something that would only be
there for the sake of it. Forget it; all this mild, creamy,
tangy tofu curry needs is the crunch of finely sliced, sweet
spring onions to bring it to life.
You won’t even miss the paneer.
Cardamom Tofu Curry
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
600g firm tofu, pressed to remove water and deep fried until
golden
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small onion, chopped very finely
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green chillies, chopped finely
-inch piece ginger, minced
4 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
250ml water
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced finely at an angle
4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the cream infusion:
300ml single cream
9 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 dried red Kashmiri chilli, lightly crushed
Method
1. For the cream infusion, pour the single cream into a small
saucepan and add the lightly crushed green and black cardamom
pods and Kashmiri chilli. Gently bring the mixture to the boil
and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool completely and
then pass through a tea strainer to remove the cardamoms and
chilli. Set the infused cream aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and add the
onions, chilli, garlic and ginger. Sauté until aromatic, about
five minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further 4
minutes, stirring all the time. Pour in 250ml hot water, garam
masala, salt and sugar and stir through. Cover with a tight-
fitting lid and cook on a medium heat for ten minutes,
stirring occasionally.
3. Remove the lid from the pan and quickly whisk in the
infused cream mixture, ensuring it does not separate. Add the
tofu, spring onions and chopped coriander. Stir for a final
time and serve hot with pilau rice and naan.
Mughlai Apricot Biryani
The past few days have been spent planning an elaborate baking
mission composed of sweet treats to make your heart cry out
for a detox – though I’m not yet ready for said detox.
In honour of all things royal wedding, I’m creating a banquet
fit for kings and queens. Our party spread will be formed of
rich, sweet and spicy dishes for us to present to our family
and guests so they can ‘ohh’ and ‘ahh’ over it while we take
all the credit for such an extravagant and mouth watering
menu.
Biryani is a bit like a newborn kitten – except you don’t cook
nor eat newborn kittens. It requires heaps of concentration,
patience and love.
Each individual component needs to be prepared to just the
right level before the ingredients can be assembled in a
harmonious fashion, and then gently steamed to create an
insanely delicious smelling and tasting dish to fight over at
the dinner table.
Swollen soaked saffron strands
In the last post we discussed the origins of Mughlai cuisine
and what makes it so majestic, and this fruity, nutty aromatic
rice is right on point. Juicy apricots and pineapples are
layered up with fluffy rice, spicy potatoes, sweet onions,
aromatic saffron and kewra water (screwpine extract).
Screwpine is the same plant that produces pandan and as the
name suggests, kewra has a very distinct ‘pine’ incense aroma
and a very slight vanilla flavour. It’s traditionally used in
biryanis (among other rice dishes), meat curries, Indian
desserts, baking and savoury gourd (melon) dishes.
I’m not going to lie to you, you are likely to do a double
take when you see the ingredients list. Take courage, my
recipe provides you with a straightforward process to follow
to create a true masterpiece. In truth, the assembly of
biryani is not unlike the process used to make lasagne – it’s
all in the preparation, so be prepared.
The following method is very detailed because I want to give
you a complete guide full of handy hints and tips to make the
perfect biryani for any occasion, and not only this one.
Mughlai Apricot Biryani
(serves 6, or 8 as part of a large meal)
Ingredients:
400g basmati rice
340g baby new potatoes, cut into quarters
320g onions, sliced into thin strips
60g dried apricots, chopped, chopped into 2cm chunks
20g dried pineapple, chopped into 2cm chunks
20g whole almonds
20g whole pistachios
10g unsweetened desiccated coconut or 30g fresh coconut,
grated
1 pinch saffron soaked in 4 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp kewra water
250ml hot water + more for boiling the rice and potatoes
4 tbsp oil or ghee
Salt
For the spicy yoghurt mixure:
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 ½ tsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced chillies
1 tsp cinnamon powder
4 whole cloves
1 tsp ground green cardamom seeds (flowery, aromatic flavour)
¼ tsp ground black cardamom seeds (smoky, heady flavour)
¼ tsp whole fennel seeds
¼ tsp pomegranate seed powder (sharp, sour taste – available
in most Indian shops)
1/8 tsp ground mace
1 small pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
Method
1. Wash your rice 8-10 times in cold water. Allow to soak in a
bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Note: You’re washing the
rice to remove the starch and promote fluffy grains when
cooked. Soaking the rice helps even cooking of the rice
through the tenderisation of each grain.
2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling
water until half-cooked. Drain and set aside. Note: Don’t
overcook your potatoes because they’re going to go through
another two cooking processes – frying and steaming.
3. Soak the chopped apricots and pineapples in warm water and
set aside.
4. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the spicy yogurt
mixture and set aside. Note: We’re using this as a sauce to
cook our potatoes in to keep them delicious and moist.
5. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan (I used a wok) and
add the part-cooked potatoes. Fry until golden all over.
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil
behind and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Mix the fried potatoes with the yogurt mixture and set
aside. Note: Adding the hot potatoes to the yogurt mixture
will allow them to soak up all of the spices.
7. Fry the slices of onion until golden in the same oil used
to fry the potatoes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon,
leaving the oil behind and drain on kitchen paper.
8. Next, fry the almonds and pistachios until slightly golden
(do not over brown) in the same oil used to fry the potatoes
and onions. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving
the oil behind and drain on kitchen paper. Note: We are using
the same oil to get as much flavour into this biryani as
possible – if you used new oil each time, the flavours would
just be thrown away.
9. Boil the rice in water seasoned with plenty of salt for
just five minutes or until half-cooked. Drain and set aside.
Note: We do not want to cook the rice too much because we’re
going to gently finish cooking it with all of the other
ingredients later.
9. Add the potato and yogurt mixture back into the pan of warm
oil and cook for 4-5 minutes or until aromatic. Remove half of
the potatoes from the pan and set aside, leaving half behind.
Were now ready to start layering up the biryani.
10. Turn the heat off before you begin layering. Place enough
rice over to potatoes to cover them. Spread on half of the
onions, drained apricots and pineapples, coconut, nuts and
spoon over half of the saffron water and kewra water. Cover
with more rice, then potatoes and more rice.
11. Again, spread on half of the onions, drained apricots and
pineapples, coconut, nuts and spoon over half of the saffron
water and kewra water. Add 250ml boiling water (salted with 1
tsp salt).
12. Cover the biryani with foil and place a tight-fitting lid
on top. Cook on a low heat for approximately 20 minutes. Check
the rice at the halfway point – it’s better to be safe than
sorry. Note: We want the biryani to gently steam and a
delicious golden (not burnt) crust to form on the bottom of
the pan. This is a conventional way to cook biryani – not a
traditional way. I will go through traditional biryani cooking
another time.
13. Remove the lid and gently fluff up the rice with a fork,
taking care not to combine it too much. Beautiful, uneven
colouring is characteristic of a good biryani.
I’ve detailed the biryani-making process as fully as I can,
however if you feel I’ve missed anything please feel free to
leave a comment or send me an email.
Serve with Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta, Shahi Paneer
Stuffed Okra and other Mughlai treats I’ll be showing you
soon.
Now let’s get down to business – when are you having this
royal Mughlai banquet and where is my invitation? I’ll be
waiting for it.