Mughlai Aloo Lajawab is an aromatic, exotic and flavourful vegetarian Indian curry from the famous Mughlai Cuisine.
Mughlai Aloo Lajawab is one of those Indian curry which you would definitely find in restaurants back in India. It is not an everyday curry or gravy recipe that we make.
The recipe calls for the use of clarified butter and cream, high in calories; definitely not for the one who is on diet but I would cheat if I were you.
So what is this Mughlai Aloo Lajawab??
Sounds alien?? Let me break it down for you..
Of the many rulers of India, Mughal Empire is considered as the second largest ruler to have existed in the Indian continent. And from that is were came the Mughlai cuisine. A cuisine which is known for its use of spices bringing out the aromatic flavours.
Aloo translates to Potato in English.
Even though Mughlai Cuisine is known for making use of lot of meat in their food, the Indian vegetarians came up with their own version of these recipes by making use of vegetables like Potato, Cauliflower and Paneer. And one of those dishes is what I am gonna share today.
Lajawab in Urdu means something that is matchless.. something that is really good..
This dish thus gets its name as in an Indian curry that has its origin from Mughlai cuisine and is so good that it cannot be matched to any other Indian gravies.
Why do we call this a Restaurant Style Indian curry??
Well like I said for an everyday comfort food, Indians do not make use of so much ghee and milk and cream and curd. Our day-to-day food is really plain with not a lot of spices added to it.
Now even though this recipe does not call for lots of spices, Mughlai Aloo Lajawab is loaded with the richness of cashews, ghee and cream. With every morsel you will feel that you are dining in a 5 star restaurant. No one will ever believe that this one is homemade.
This Mughlai Aloo Lajawab has a wonderful colour; all in a natural form - use of Turmeric. The glaze and the shine is so inviting that you must try replicating this at home.
The subtle taste of caramalised onions, the crunch of roasted cashews, the aroma of the freshly ground ginger-garlic and the spices roasted in pure ghee with the cubed bites of potato makes this one aromatic, exotic, lip-smacking and finger licking treat to both eyes and your taste buds.
Make this for your family and they will love you even more. And trust me follow the recipe to the T and I assure you that even a novice can cook it like a pro.
The only thing you should take care is cooking each step really well; I mean really well.
If you happen to try this recipe please tag me, tweet me or instagram me; I would love to follow you and your posts.
Mughlai Aloo Lajawab - Restaurant Style Indian Curry
Ingredients
- 3 nos large potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 nos med size onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup whole cashewnuts
- 3 tbsp clarified butter/ghee
- 1 tsp caraway seeds / shah jeera
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped cashew nuts
- 5 nos garlic pods
- Thumb size ginger
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/2 cup whisked curd
- salt to taste
- 1/2-1 tsp garam masala powder
- oil for deep frying.
Instructions
- Start by soaking your whole cashews in water for atleast 15 mins and grind to a smooth paste. Grind the ginger garlic to a paste using a mortal pestle. (You can even use a mixer or just add 1 tbsp of readymade paste). Meanwhile peel and cube your potatoes and deep fry them in batches in hot oil over medium flame until lightly golden from the edges.
- Heat ghee in another pan. Once hot add the shah jeera and let it crackle. Add 2 tbsp roughly chopped cashews and stir till its golden brown and then add the onion.
- Cook the onions till translucent and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook well until the raw smell goes. This would take around 2-3 minutes.
- Add the turmeric powder and both the chilli powder and cook well.
- Add the ground cashew nut paste. Cook well until the raw smell goes. (By now you would have got a body to the dish).
- Lower the flame and add the milk, cream and curd. Let them cook really well. Stir in between so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a plate; top the plate with some water. This step helps to prevent the burning of the curry.
- Let the mixture come to a boil. Add the potatoes to it. Mix everything well. Add salt and garam masala. Cover with the same lid and let it cook for another 3 minutes.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, puri, paratha, naan or jeera rice.
Recipe Notes:
1. It is really important to cook each step really well before adding the next ingredient. Take your time and stir everything in between so that it doesn't burn.
2. I always grind fresh ginger garlic paste in a mortal pestle as it tends to give a better flavour and aroma. You can however just grind in a mixer or use ready made paste.
3. Whisk your curd really well before adding or you may find that it is curdling. If you think it is curdling, just cover the pan with a plate and some water on top and let it cook for 5-10 mins on med flame; everything will definitely come together.
Would you love to pin this Mughlai Aloo Lajawab - Restaurant Style for later.
Here you go!!
See you next week. Have a happy weekend
Until then
Hugs
sushma
Mohamed says
Absolutely magic. Rich and creamy. Exotic aloo. Found the recipe today and my daughter made it, our family of 9 really enjoyed it. Thank you
sushma iyer says
Hi Mohamed..
I am so glad to learn this.. Thank you taking time to try this recipe and getting back with such a lovely feedback.. This brightened my day.. So glad to have made it to your family time.. Thank you
Kanan says
Hi!made this curry today!was'nt sure how it would turn out,but it was awesome,everyone loved it,all the guests were asking for the recipe!!?
It would taste fab as a biryani as well,with more veggies/paneer added to the potato!
Can't wait to make it again!!
Thanks a mil!!
sushma iyer says
Thank you so much Kanan.. I am so glad to hear this from you.. This really made my day. So so happy to know that you and everyone in your family liked it..
Yes as a recipe variation you can definitely include different veggies.. <3 Thank you for your feedback.. 😀
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
Initially when I saw the picture, I thought it was paneer, then I went back to the title and it said aaloo... 😀 You have so beautifully cut it and made it. Such a rich dish which is definitely to go into the category of treats...
sushma iyer says
Thats really so sweet of you to say rafeeda.. Thank you for your kind words.
And yes indeed a very rich recipe with all the milk cream and curd perfect for parties
Dhwani says
Looks so yum!!! I will have to try this soon. 🙂
sushma iyer says
Oh please do.. I am sure everyone will love it.. 😀
Savita says
I am gonna try this soon!
sushma iyer says
Oh Thanks dear.. I am pretty sure you will love it.. Will wait for your feedback.. <3 <3