Yam Makhani

All the creamy comfort of a makhani curry, made with yam, red bell pepper and roasted cashews. No butter, no cream, no oil.

Prep
10 min
Cook
35 min
Total
45 min
Serves
2
Jump to recipe
Yam Makhani
Total
45 min
Serves
2
Course
Main Course

Ingredients

  • Vegetable:
  • 1 cup yam cubes (jimikand) or tofu or red lentil tofu
  • 2 cups water
  • Curry:
  • 1 cup small chopped red bell pepper
  • ⅓ cup chopped carrot
  • ⅓ cup chopped pumpkin
  • 1 cup water
  • Other Ingredients:
  • ⅓ cup cashews, roasted
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi
  • ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • 1½ tablespoons jaggery powder
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon rock salt

Method

  1. If you're using tofu or red lentil tofu instead of yam, keep 1 cup ready.
  2. Heat a pot, and add the yams and water. Cover, and boil for 20 minutes until soft. If using tofu or red lentil tofu, there is no need to boil.
  3. Heat another pot, and add all the curry ingredients. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame until soft. Then switch off the stove and let the vegetables cool to room temperature.
  4. Place the cooked vegetables and their water into a blender, and add all the other ingredients, except the water and rock salt. Blend until smooth.
  5. Heat a pot, and pour in the blended curry and ½ cup water. Cook for 5 minutes on medium flame until thick.
  6. Add the boiled yam or tofu or red lentil tofu cubes and stir. Switch off the stove, add the rock salt, mix well, and cover with a lid for 10 minutes.
  7. Serve warm with satvic roti or rice.

Notes

Tip: If yam is not in season, replace it with any other vegetable.

Swap: Tofu or red lentil tofu work beautifully too. Skip the boiling step and add them straight to the gravy.

 

From Subah's kitchen

“This dish reminds me of my childhood, when our family used to go out to eat Makhani Dal. It’s just as creamy and flavourful. It’s also perfect to make if you have guests coming over.”

~ Subah Saraf, co-founder of Satvic Movement

 

Most of us grew up with makhani meaning butter and cream, and lots of both. This version keeps the part we actually love, that silky, mildly sweet, orange-red gravy, and gets it from the vegetables themselves.

 

Red bell pepper, carrot and pumpkin give the colour and the sweetness. A handful of roasted cashews, blended in, gives the creaminess. Kasuri methi brings that restaurant aroma. Nothing is fried, and there isn’t a drop of oil in the pot. It’s the dish we make when guests are coming over and we want them to forget they’re eating “healthy food”.

 

What’s in the pot, and why

  • Yam (jimikand): a hearty root vegetable that soaks up the gravy. Raw yam can make the throat itch, which is why we boil it for a full 20 minutes until soft.
  • Red bell pepper: gives the deep makhani colour and a sweet, smoky note. It is one of the richest vegetable sources of vitamin C.
  • Carrot and pumpkin: natural sweetness and a velvety texture once blended. Their orange colour comes from beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.
  • Roasted cashews: a whole fat in place of butter and cream. Roasting them first gives the gravy a rounder, nuttier flavour.
  • Kasuri methi: dried fenugreek leaves. Just a teaspoon makes a curry smell like “makhani”. Crush it between your palms before adding.
  • Jaggery and rock salt: unrefined jaggery in place of sugar, and rock salt in limited amounts, added only after the stove is switched off.

 

The Satvic way

We eat less grain and more vegetables: at least twice as many vegetables as grains. So with this curry, think one satvic roti with two bowls of makhani, rather than the other way round.

 

This recipe also follows our food laws: no oil (whole fats like cashews instead), no refined sugar (jaggery instead), and minimal cooking.

 

Cook with love, and enjoy it slowly. 🌿

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