If you are looking for a different way to serve aloo at indian parties, you will love this recipe . Its simple to make and quite a unique switch from the tomato based curry sauces. Whats more? It can be easily made vegan, read my suggestions later in the article. In Hindi, aloo/aalu = potatoes and malai is heavy cream. Being a predominately vegetarian country, in India,potatoes are a super common ingredient cooked in every way possible. There are many versions of aloo curries in india like aloo jhol, dum aloo, dahi aloo etc etc. Indian party menus are incomplete without a rich potato dish. This creamy aloo curry is different, luxurious and the color of the sauce makes it stand out among other dishes on the table. I love to cook this creamy indulgent version on special occasions like for birthdays or anniversary dinners or for festive meals on Diwali or Holi.
How does Malai Aloo Curry Taste
Divine! If potatoes aren’t comforting on their own, here’s a rich sauce made with yogurt, cashews, white poppy seeds and warming indian spices. This creamy, spicy and slightly tangy sauce complements the comforting taste of potatoes fully! Its not sweet, the color of the sauce may mislead a few, however it packs a kick of green chillies! Since this is once or twice a year thing for us- I go all out. I cook the curry in ghee and add generous amount of heavy cream to finish. Total decadence!
Ingredients
Which type of Potato is best for curry?
Potatoes are the star ingredinet. Choose any delicious variety of potato that you like. My favorite potatoes to use for curries are yukon gold potatoes.They aren’t too starchy and have a buttery flavor. I peeled them and then cut in half. You can use baby potatoes as well as russet potatoes (cut in chunks). Red potatoes will work too. Really any kind of potatoes will work as long as you like their taste. For The Malai Sauce Other Ingredients
Yellow or White Onions - Preserve the color of the sauce. Thai Green Chillies or Serrano Peppers - These are the only heat added to the sauce. Powdered Spices - Coriander, Cumin, White Pepper (skip if not available)Whole Spices - Cinnamon & Green Cardamom, Shahi Jeera (carraway seeds)Ghee- Adds a wonderful flavor and aroma to the sauce. However you can use oil for cooking.Ginger & Garlic.
How To Make Malai Aloo Curry
Peel and cut the potatoes. Add to a large pot of water, add salt and set on stove. Once the water is boiling, reduce the stove and let cook for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are 90 percent cooked. Drain and keep near.
Pro Tip : Adding salt to water makes the potatoes taste 10 times better. You can also add a pinch of turmeric powder to water for for nicer color on the potatoes.
Soak the cashews and poppy seeds for 10 min in warm water. While the cashews are soaking, add onions, green chillies, ginger & garlic to a small blender jar and make a smooth paste. Add ghee to a pot and let warm. Add the cinnamon stick & green cardamom to the ghee and stir for 10-15 seconds. Add the onion paste to the ghee and on low medium heat, let cook. We will cook the onions till the raw smell is gone.While the onions are cooking, add cashew and poppy seeds to the same blender jar along with water and grind to a smooth paste.
Pro Tip : Poppy seeds can be pretty difficult to grind, however soaking them helps. As the grind the paste will get thicker, add tiny amount of water as required to aid the blending process.
To the cooked onions, add the potatoes. Sprinkle the powdered spices. Stir around till the potatoes are coated in spices. Dont brown too much. Reduce the heat to low or take off the pot from stove. Add the beaten yogurt along with cashew paste. Return the pot to stove and keep stirring so that the yogurt is warmed through. You will notice small bubbles on the edges.
Pro Tip :- Continuous stirring immediately after adding the yogurt to curries reduces chances of curdling.
Next add warm water, sugar and cover the pot.Let simmer for 10-12 minutes on low heat or until the potatoes are cooked through. Finish the malai aloo curry with fresh grind of nutmeg, heavy cream and cilantro. Simmer for additional 2-3 minutes. Done!
How To Make Vegan Malai Aloo Curry
To turn Malai Aloo Curry into a vegan friendly version here are my suggestions
Instead of ghee, use plant based oil like avocado or grapeseed.Use cashew yogurt instead of yogurt. You can use coconut as well however keep in mind that will make the sauce taste coconutty. To finish, either use cashew or almond milk.
Some Variations
For a richer version, add some crumbled khoya/mawa to this curry.Add some blanched peas to the aloo curry. The burst of sweet peas taste really good. If you dont want to make the sabzi with potatoes, you can use the same recipe base for vegetables like cauliflower or whole white button mushrooms.
Serving Suggestions
Serve malai aloo curry with garlic naan, pooris, pudina paratha or parathas. Dont forget to add a side of salad on the size.
Few Tips & Notes
I personally dont like too soft potatoes in such creamy preparations, take care that you dont overcook the potatoes else they will break and spoil the texture of curry. The color of this curry makes it unique, try to preserve it and take care by notover browning the onions. A little amount of poppy seeds goes a long way plus if used more they will impart their taste to the sauce, we dont want that, we just want them for thickening the sauce. Dont make a very runny sauce, wont taste good. You may use a combo of almonds and cashew for the sauce, however dont skip the cashews completely. You can add some fried onions on top while serving. All these needed ingredients should be easily available in your indian grocery store or amazon.
More Creamy Recipes to try
Murgh Malai TikkaPaneer Kali MirchKhoya matarChicken Kali Mirich
