Instant Pot Dum Aloo (Potatoes in a Creamy Cashew Sauce)

34 Comments

Dum aloo is a popular Kashmiri curry featuring perfectly cooked baby potatoes coated in an aromatic, rich, and creamy cashew tomato sauce. It’s a delicious potato curry that’s very easy to make in an instant pot.

Instant Pot Dum Aloo

Everyone loves potatoes, right? Is it possible to love them even more? Yes! Just smother them in a creamy spiced cashew tomato sauce! This recipe for dum aloo is absolutely delicious, and thanks to the instant pot, it’s easy to make too.

My dum aloo recipe is easy enough to make on a weeknight and fancy enough to serve company or on a special occasion. It’s naturally vegetarian and gluten-free – perfect for nearly any diet.

It’s not very common for the humble potato to be the star of a dish – especially the main dish. But in dum aloo, the potatoes don’t have to share the spotlight the way they do in my aloo gobi or aloo beans recipes. They’re also not a side dish like in my recipe for aloo methi. Nope. These baby potatoes are not a side or a stuffing or a co-star. They are why you’re coming to the show dinner tonight. Give these guys a shot, and you’ll come back for an encore.

What is dum aloo? What does “dum” mean?

When I first made this dum aloo for my family, my husband told me he didn’t think the potatoes were very “dumb.” He was joking, of course (I’m thankful to be married to a guy with my cheesy/terrible sense of humor).

“Dum” refers to a type of cooking method where food is simmered over low heat in a sealed pot, which helps retain the steam, which in turn keeps the dish moist. These baby potatoes are cooked over high heat in a short amount of time, so it’s true they aren’t “dum,” but the flavor of dum aloo is the same.

What does dum aloo taste like? Imagine perfectly cooked baby potatoes swimming in a creamy spiced cashew tomato sauce. You can stir in some heavy cream or yogurt (or coconut cream if you’re vegan) for extra richness and then top it all off with a sprinkle of dried fenugreek leaves.

Instant Pot Dum Aloo

Serve this dum aloo with any Indian flatbread or with basmati rice. A pretty smart pairing if I say so myself. 😉

Instant Pot Dum Aloo

Instant Pot Dum Aloo

Instant Pot Dum Aloo

Instant Pot Dum Aloo

Dum aloo is a popular Kashmiri curry featuring perfectly cooked baby potatoes coated in an aromatic, rich and creamy cashew tomato sauce. It’s a delicious potato curry that’s very easy to make in an instant pot. “Dum” refers to a type of cooking method where food is cooked slowly over low heat in a sealed pot, which helps retain steam which in turn keeps the dish moist. These baby potatoes are cooked over high heat in a short amount of time, so it’s true they aren’t “dum” but the flavor of dum aloo is the same.
5 from 12 reviews
Pin Recipe Print Recipe
Servings 4
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
 

  • 11-12 baby potatoes approx. 1½ pounds, peeled

Onion Tomato Sauce

  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 1- inch ginger roughly chopped
  • 2 tomatoes roughly chopped

Creamy Cashew Sauce

  • cup cashews
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon oil of choice

Spices

 

  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream or yogurt or coconut milk optional

Instructions
 

  • Prick the potatoes in several places with a fork.
  • Add the onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  • To make the creamy cashew sauce, add the cashews and ½ cup water to the blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  • Press the sauté button and add oil and the blended onion and tomato mixture. Stir-fry for 8-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
  • Add the spices and the potatoes and mix well, then add ½ cup water to the pot.
  • Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 8 minutes at high pressure.
  • Open the valve to quick release any remaining pressure.
  • Stir in the cashew sauce, fenugreek leaves and cream if using.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @myheartbeets on Instagram and hashtag it #myheartbeets!

Pin This Recipe

Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board now so you will remember to make it later!

Pin Recipe Now0

Related Recipes

Cookbooks

Find out more about my cookbooks Indian Food Under Pressure and South Asian Persuasion.

About Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley. Thanks for being here! I truly believe that food brings us closer together. Gather around a table with good food and good people, and you’ll have the ingredients you need to create some happy memories. My hope is that you find recipes here that you can’t wait to share with family and friends.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get our latest content by email. We won't send you spam. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment & Rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Varsha Bhatia says

    Ashley, does Kashmiri Dum Aloo have onions in the recipe? And have fennel and sounth instead? Is this perhaps a Punjabi Dum Aloo recipe?

  2. Swati says

    5 stars
    This recipe is unbelievably tasty and easy! I made it with 3/4th cup onion masala and reduced the paprika to 1.5 teaspoons instead of 2 teaspoons. It was to die for and I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you Ashley for yet another 10/10 recipe!

  3. Shaoni says

    Hello Ashley!

    Thank you so much for this recipe–it looks amazing! (And honestly, thank you so much for ALL of your recipes!) Do you think we could substitute in the onion masala? If so, any thoughts about the amount?

    Best,

    Shaoni

  4. Asha says

    5 stars
    After a lot of procrastination and having my instant pot for almost 2 years, made this gravy as my first attempt for a weekday dinner and I was shocked by how little supervision it needed and how quick it all came together.. and the taste? Absolutely delicious!!!! I made the green moong daal next and am excited to try more options now……. :)))))

  5. Nita says

    Hi Ashley
    Question
    My husband got the frozen BOILED small potatoes (dum aloo potatoes) from the indian grocery store freezer.
    How do I use it in this recipe to make dum aloo.
    Should i just pressure cook the masala without potatoes? Or should I reduce the time to 3 mins and cook everything together? I am scared to cook the already cooked potatoes .
    Thanks
    Thanks.

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Nita, if the potatoes are already cooked then I agree, I would not pressure cook them further. I would make the masala on sauté mode or on the stovetop and then add the potatoes – you can omit the water since you’re not pressure cooking. Let me know how it goes with the frozen potatoes!

  6. Laurel says

    5 stars
    I stumbled across your blog, found many good recipes, and this was the first one I made. It was absolutely delicious! My boyfriend and I have recently become vegetarian, and Indian cuisine has soooo many vegetarian options that your cooking blog will become a mainstay for us. Thanks for such an amazing recipe!

  7. JS says

    5 stars
    Another home run! It came out so well that I ate too much. It’s hard to believe it’s vegan; it turned out so creamy with just the addition of a few tablespoons of cashew nuts.

Show More Comments

instant pot pour and cook chicken biryani

Ashley's Secrets

INDIAN FOOD

in INSTANT POT

Favorite tips & tricks to

easy Indian Instant Pot cooking

FREE EMAIL BONUS

paneer lababdar

Ashley's Secrets

INDIAN FOOD

MADE EASY

Favorite tips & tricks to

easy & delicious Indian cooking

FREE EMAIL BONUS