This spicy vegan potato curry is full on with flavour and easy to make with pantry staples. Fried potatoes are simmered in a spicy and savory tomato-cashew sauce infused with delicious, aromatic Indian spices. You'll be surprised by how tasty the humble potato can be!

I love me a potato curry. Truth be told I love any kind of curry, but I especially love me a potato curry. Or anything potato for that matter.

It would be a toss up between which I love more, potatoes or garlic (see last post), and I could happily eat potatoes in any form on a daily basis (potatoes and garlic = heaven).

Curry is an incredibly versatile dish, anything goes and you can make it as simple or as complex as you like. This spicy vegan curry dum aloo is Punjabi style, and I would say that it’s about average in terms of complexity.

Not because it’s particularly difficult, but because there are several steps involved and it takes a bit of time to put together. But it’s totally worth it.

Baby potatoes are first fried and then simmered in a spice-infused tomato-based gravy, allowing them to suck up all that spicy tomato-y goodness. Yum!

Versions of this recipe call for either curd, which more or less something like yoghurt, or heavy cream. However, if you don’t want to use dairy, you can use cashews and a squeeze of lemon to give it a bit of tang.

This spicy vegan potato curry will fill your kitchen with wonderful smells, and if you live in an apartment like we do, you can make your neighbours jealous with the lovely aromas.

Unless your neighbours are like ours and complain about absolutely everything, in that case you’re better off getting new neighbours who know how to appreciate life and a good curry (which is essential to life).

This spicy vegan potato curry is fantastic served with rice or naan and alongside other Indian vegan dishes like this yellow lentil dal recipe or these easy vegan samosas with quick mango chutney.

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Potato Curry (Dum Aloo)

Name: Potato Curry (Dum Aloo)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 12 baby potatoes (or large potatoes cut into small pieces); 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, divided; 12 whole cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes; 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds; 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of cinnamon; 2 green cardamom pods; 1 bay leaf; 2 cloves; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 1/4 cm (1/2 inch) piece of ginger, chopped; 2 cloves of garlic, chopped; 2 spicy green chilies, chopped (adjust to taste); 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons coriander powder; 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder; Salt, to taste; 1 cup water; Fresh cilantro, to garnish

Yield: Serves 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

12 baby potatoes (or large potatoes cut into small pieces)
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, divided
12 whole cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ¼ cm (½ inch) piece of ginger, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 spicy green chilies, chopped (adjust to taste)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt, to taste
1 cup water
Fresh cilantro, to garnish

Instructions

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and boil the potatoes until tender but not mushy. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool. Peel them once cool enough to handle. While to potatoes are cooking, puree the soaked cashews with a bit of water in a food processor to a thick paste.
Heat one teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry the potatoes until lightly browned and crispy on all sides. Set aside on a paper towel to drain.
Add one tablespoon of oil to the pan and allow it to heat on high. Once the oil shimmers, reduce the heat to medium and add the fennel seeds. Fry just until the seeds crackle and darken slightly and then add in the cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, and cloves. Continue frying for just a few seconds until they release their aromas.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili to the spices and cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, puree in a food processor or blender.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in your pan over high heat. Once shimmering, reduce the heat to medium and add in the cumin seeds. Fry until they begin to crackle and then add in the onion-tomato puree. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and it forms a thick paste.
Add in the dry spices: chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and a pinch of salt. Allow to cook for a minute, then stir through the cashew paste. Finally, add the water and bring to a boil. Poke the potatoes all over with a fork to allow the sauce to penetrate and add them to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the gravy has reached your desired consistency.
Serve garnished with chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

Notes

Adapted from: http://www.spiceupthecurry.com/punjabi-dum-aloo-recipe/

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1227mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 10gSugar: 10gProtein: 9g

Comments

Annette says

January 29, 2016 at 5:48 am

OMG! This turned out really awesome! Ive never been so happy for a dish to taste so good! Being an Indian I suck at cooking Indian food and mostly avoid it. But this totally surprised me 🙂 thanks for sharing this recipe

- Melissa says
  
  January 29, 2016 at 11:21 am
  
  Great! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back and letting me know how it was.
  
Grace Harkley says

January 12, 2017 at 4:05 am

I'm making this for my friend, and she's allergic to nuts! Would it be possible to use coconut cream instead of the cashew cream? I've used it in other curries so I was just wondering!!

- Melissa says
  
  January 12, 2017 at 10:14 am
  
  Sure, that would work.
  
Marjorie holste says

January 14, 2017 at 12:28 am

My vegan daughter will turn cartwheels when she reads this recipe. I'm making it this weekend. Thank you for sharing

Gabe says

January 15, 2018 at 11:49 pm

Would give myself a little more time than 40 minutes but it's spicy and I love it!

Hannah says

January 18, 2018 at 8:46 am

do you leave the bay leaves and cinnamon stick in when you put it in the food processor? or do i take them out?

- Melissa says
  
  January 21, 2018 at 5:49 pm
  
  Everything goes in
  
Jade says

September 19, 2018 at 9:05 am

Do you know the nutritional information? 🙂

Reshma says

November 27, 2018 at 4:07 am

I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! thank you!

Kal says

October 31, 2019 at 4:39 pm

Possibly the tastiest thing I've ever made - no joke. Thank you!

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