Dum Aaloo

Translated from hindi, 'aaloo' is potatoes and 'dum' means to steam. In the olden days, the pan was sealed with dough so that the food cooked in it own steam. This also helped retain the flavour and the aroma of the spices. A Kashmiri speciality (Kashmir is in the north of India), the dish consists of baby potatoes in spicy creamy sauce. This curry works equally well with rice as it does with Indian bread. (Potatoes are usually the main course. But in India, they are more like a vegetable side dish!) I use turmeric in this recipe, which is a bright yellow spice. It is often confused with saffron because of the similarity in the colour both produce. Widely used as a spice in South Asian cooking, turmeric is also used as a holy paste in religious rituals. Called "Gurkmeja" in Swedish, you can find it in the spices section of supermarkets. Ingredients are... 10 baby potatoes, peeled Oil (sunflower oil or light olive oil) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (you can also use ginger paste) 1 large onion, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon chilli (or 1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped) 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander A handful of cashews, finely ground 1 dl creme fraiche or cream Salt to taste Handful of chopped fresh coriander, stalks and leaves Cook potatoes in hot water till they are a bit hard on the outside and really soft in the inside. You can poke them gently with a fork. If the fork goes in the potatoes without much difficulty, then you know the potatoes are done. Just make sure that potatoes don't reach the point of breaking up. Even if they do, its okay :) Then fry potatoes in oil so that they become nice and golden. Sprinkle some salt as they toast. While that is happening, dribble some oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add cumin and then ginger and onion. Fry until onions soften and shrivel. Sprinkle some salt. Spoon in turmeric, chilli, coriander and stir around for a couple of minutes. Now add ground cashews. Mist with water and give a nice stir. Once this cools down a bit, blend into a smooth paste using a hand blender. Your kitchen will be filled with the awesome aroma of the spices. Heat the pan again and tip in the blended spices. Splash a cup of hot water at the same time and stir around. Add cream, over a low heat and stir to combine. Gently drop the potatoes into the curry sauce. Simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes. The gravy should be thick. If too watery, turn up the heat and boil down until you have the right consistency. Finally flourish with coriander and serve.