Potato and Tomato Curry (Alur Dom)

Potato and tomato curry, or alur dom, is potatoes fried in spiced oil until golden and then simmered in a deep tomato masala until a knife slides straight through them. It is the richest thing on an Indian feast table and the one that improves most overnight, so it is the dish to make the day before. Let's cook!

Why This Potato and Tomato Curry Works

The potatoes are fried before they are simmered. Ten minutes in hot spiced oil gives them a golden crust and a nutty flavour that a potato boiled in sauce will never have. It is the single step that makes this curry taste like a restaurant one.

The frying oil becomes the curry. You lift the potatoes out with a slotted spoon and leave every drop of that toasted cumin and chilli oil behind, then build the sauce in it. Nothing is wasted and nothing is washed away.

Half the onion is blended, half is fried. The blended half melts into a smooth masala base. The fried half keeps a bit of texture. Doing both is why the sauce has body without being lumpy.

The turmeric goes on the potatoes, not just in the sauce. Half a teaspoon tossed through them while they are still in the pan colours them properly, so you get golden potatoes sitting in a red sauce rather than everything the same shade.

It is better the next day. The potatoes keep drinking the sauce overnight. This is the one to cook first and reheat, which is exactly why it opens the feast.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Serves: 4 to 6
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Blender or stick blender, pan with a lid

The moment that matters is the oil separating. After the blended paste goes into the pan it will darken and thicken, and then you will see oil coming away from it at the edges and pooling slightly. That is the signal the base is cooked rather than just hot, and if you move on before it happens the whole curry tastes sharp and raw underneath the spice. It is the same cue as the coconut egg curry and it is worth learning once, because it works on any tomato-based curry you will ever make. The other thing I would say from doing this a lot: cut the potatoes up rather than leaving them whole. Whole ones look impressive and take forever, and you want a knife to slide all the way through with no resistance at all. Not fork tender. Knife tender. There is nothing worse than a crunchy potato.

Ingredients

For the Paste

• 1/2 red onion
• 1 heaped tsp grated ginger
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 green chilli
• 3 tbsp of the chopped tomatoes
• A splash of water

For the Curry

• 5 large potatoes, just over 500g, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, or 2 large fresh ones
• 2 dried chillies, such as a Kashmiri and a bird's eye
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• A generous amount of oil, for frying

How to Make Potato and Tomato Curry (Alur Dom)

1. Prep the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks, then sit them in a bowl of water so they do not discolour while you get everything else ready.
2. Blend the paste: Put the half onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli and 3 tbsp of the chopped tomatoes into a blender with a splash of water, and blitz until smooth. Set it by the stove.
3. Rinse the can: Tip the rest of the tomatoes into a bowl, then fill the empty can with water and swill it around to get every last bit out. Keep that water, it goes into the curry later.
4. Dry the potatoes: Drain them into a colander and leave them to dry off properly. Wet potatoes will not fry, they will stick.
5. Fry the potatoes: Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan over a medium to low heat. Add the dried chillies and the cumin seeds and toast them until aromatic. Add the potatoes and fry them until they have a good golden colour on each side, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp of the turmeric and toast it through for a minute.
6. Lift the potatoes out: Take them out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving all the spiced oil behind in the pan. That oil is the base of the curry.
7. Sweat the onion: Turn the heat down low and add the diced half onion to the pan. Cook gently until softened.
8. Cook out the paste: Stir in the blended paste and cook it until you can see the oil starting to separate from it at the edges of the pan. Do not rush this, it is the difference between a cooked base and a raw-tasting one.
9. Add the ground spices: Stir in the remaining 1/2 tsp turmeric, the chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder, and cook for a few minutes until it is thick and glossy.
10. Add the rest of the tomatoes: Tip in the remaining chopped tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, then season with the 1 tsp of salt. Hold the rest of the salt back until the end.
11. Simmer: Return the potatoes to the pan along with any oil left on the plate, then pour in the tomato can water and enough extra water to just cover them. Put the lid on and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing catches on the bottom.
12. Check and finish: Test a potato with a knife. It should slide all the way through with no resistance. If they need longer and the sauce has thickened too much, add a splash more water and keep going, usually another 5 to 10 minutes. Taste, add a little more salt, and serve.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Better the next day: The one dish in the feast that genuinely wants to be made ahead
• Cheap: Potatoes, a tin of tomatoes, an onion and spices you already have
• Deeply spiced without being hot: Half a teaspoon of chilli powder and one green chilli, both adjustable
• Fried potatoes, not boiled ones: Which is the whole reason it tastes the way it does
• Vegetarian and vegan: Use oil rather than ghee and there is nothing animal in it at all

Chef's Tips for Potato and Tomato Curry

Dry the potatoes properly: They have been sitting in water and they will steam rather than fry if you skip this. Drain them, leave them in the colander, and give them a shake.

Cut them up, do not leave them whole: Whole potatoes take an age and cook unevenly. Chunks cook in 20 to 30 minutes and drink up far more sauce.

Knife tender, not fork tender: A fork will lie to you. A knife should go all the way through the middle with no resistance whatsoever.

Wait for the oil to separate: After the paste goes in, do not add the ground spices until you can see oil pooling at the edges. That is your one reliable signal.

Rinse the tomato can: Fill it with water, swill it round, and use that as the simmering liquid. It gets every bit of tomato out of the can and it is free flavour.

Salt at the end, not the start: There is spice all the way through this but very little seasoning, and it needs less salt at the finish than you would think. A little at a time, tasting as you go.

Watch it near the end: As the sauce reduces it will want to catch on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and add a splash of water if it gets too thick before the potatoes are done.

Substitutions & Variations

• Bay leaf: Add one with the cumin seeds if you have one, it is a lovely addition
• Fresh tomatoes: Use 2 large ones in place of the can, chopped, and top up with a little extra water
• Dried chillies: Kashmiri gives colour more than heat, a bird's eye gives heat. Use whichever you have
• Green chilli: Leave it out for a mild curry, the dried ones and the chilli powder are enough
• Ghee instead of oil: Richer and more traditional, though it stops being vegan
• Sweet potato or kumara: Works beautifully, but cut the simmer down as it softens faster
• Add peas: A handful of frozen peas in the last 5 minutes makes it a fuller meal

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Or rather, it is one of the few curries that is better not eaten fresh. Straight from the pan is lovely, but tomorrow is better.

Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The potatoes keep absorbing the sauce, so it gets deeper and thicker each day. Loosen with a splash of water when you reheat.

Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Potatoes can go slightly grainy after freezing, so it is worth eating this one from the fridge if you can.

Avoid: Do not reheat it fast over a high heat. The sauce is thick and it will catch and scorch on the bottom of the pan. Low and slow, with a splash of water and a stir.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does alur dom mean? Alur dom, sometimes written aloo dum, is a Bengali potato curry. Dom refers to the slow, covered cooking that lets the potatoes take on the sauce, which is exactly what the twenty minutes under a lid is doing here.

Why do you fry the potatoes first? Colour and flavour. Frying them in the spiced oil gives them a golden crust and a nuttiness that boiling them in the sauce cannot. It also means they hold their shape rather than breaking up.

Can I make potato curry ahead? Yes, and you should. It is noticeably better the next day and it is the dish I always make first when I am cooking The Ultimate Indian Vegetarian Feast.

Is this curry spicy? Mild to medium. There is 1/2 tsp of chilli powder, one green chilli and two dried chillies, and every one of those is adjustable. Leave the green chilli out and it is gentle.

What potatoes should I use? A floury or all-rounder potato is ideal, because it takes on the sauce. Agria or Ilam Hardy are both good here. A very waxy potato will stay firm and not absorb as much.

My sauce is too thick and the potatoes are still hard. What do I do? Add a splash of water, put the lid back on and keep simmering. This is completely normal and it is why the recipe tells you to check rather than trust the clock.

Can I make it in a slow cooker? You can, but fry the potatoes and cook out the paste in a pan first. Those two steps are where all the flavour comes from and a slow cooker cannot do either.

What do I serve it with? Rice or bread, ideally both. Rice Pilaf with Caramelised Onions and Caraway and Onion and Coriander Chapatis are both from the same feast and both are made for this sauce.

You Might Also Like

Saag Halloumi - The green curry to this one's red, and the pair of them on one table is a very good night.

Coconut Egg Curry with Fennel and Curry Leaves - Mild, creamy and completely different in flavour, which is why they work alongside each other.

Cauliflower Tikka Masala - A takeaway classic made vegetarian, and a brilliant fourth curry if you are feeding a crowd.

Lentil Tarka Dal - Cheaper and gentler, and the thing to make when you want this kind of cooking on a Tuesday.

This is the curry I always start with when I cook the feast, because it is the one that gets better while everything else is being made. Potatoes and tomatoes cost almost nothing, the spices are all cupboard staples, and what comes out of the pan tastes like it took far more than an hour. Make it a day ahead if you possibly can. You will not regret it.

Enjoy!

Del x

Golden turmeric potatoes fried in spiced oil and simmered in a deep, rich tomato masala until a knife goes straight through.