Mashed Potato Cloud Keema Curry, made with SN1

A cloud of rich, creamy mashed potato, made with butter and cream, drifting above a fragrant, spiced keema curry. An enticing pairing.

SPICE CURRY SPICE PACK [Spice Curry Spice Pack] Symphony No.1 (SN1) — a mashed potato cloud keema curry.

Whenever we get hold of potatoes in season, we want mashed potato with plenty of butter and cream. It is good alongside a steak, and we are also very fond of shepherd’s pie, that traditional British dish of mince baked under mashed potato.

Some potatoes arrived that our nephew in Hokkaidō had dug himself, and it was clear they had to be mashed. When we set out to make a friendly curry with mashed potato, one that children and adults could both eat by the bowlful, the image that came to mind was the sea of clouds at Tomamu. A simple keema curry with clouds of mashed potato floating on it — that would look rather lovely. This is that recipe.

Mashed potato looks simple, but it is fiddlier than it seems. Drawing on various recipes we have made over the years, we have put together an approach that saves time and still tastes good.

The keema itself is very easy. Simple ingredients, seasoned with nothing but salt and sugar, so that the flavour of the mashed potato comes through directly 👨‍🍳

Ingredients for the keema curry (serves 4)

• SN1 / starter spices (the whole-spice sachet): 1 sachet
• SN1 / powder spices (the ground-spice sachet): 1 sachet
• Tomato purée: 1 pack (about 150g)
• Onion: 1
• Carrot: 1/2
• Celery: 1/2 stick
• Minced pork and beef: 200g
• Garlic (grated): 2 tsp (1–2 cloves)
• Ginger (grated): 1 tbsp
• Sugar: 2 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tbsp (use whichever oil you like. For this recipe we recommend olive oil)
• Water: 100ml
  
  

Ingredients for the mashed potato

• Potatoes: 500g
• Double cream: 100ml
• Milk: 100ml
• Butter: 100g (we assume unsalted; if you use salted, adjust the salt you add)
• Salt: 1 tsp
• White pepper: as needed (you can leave it out if you have none, but it does lift the flavour)

Preparation

• Grate the garlic, then the ginger, in that order
  
  
• Cut the onion (halve it, halve it again, then slice)
  
  
  
  
  
• Peel the celery and the carrot and chop them finely.
  
  
• Splitting the cardamom in the starter spices (the whole-spice sachet) lengthways with scissors or a knife lifts the aroma
  
  

Making the mashed potato

Start the mashed potato before you begin the spice curry. Boiling potatoes takes a while, so we use the microwave here to save time.

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters.
   
   
2. Put the potatoes into a heatproof dish, pour in about 100ml of water (not in the list above), cover loosely with cling film and microwave at 600W for 12 minutes.
   
   
   
   
3. Take them out of the microwave and let them stand in their own heat for 5 minutes.
   
   
4. Put the “milk: 100ml” and “double cream: 100ml” into a glass or similar and warm them in the microwave at 600W for about 1 minute.
   
   
5. Put the potatoes into a sieve and press them through into a bowl with a masher (or anything else you can press with).
   
   

   What matters is not letting the potatoes cool. Mash them quickly while they are piping hot. Pressing them through a sieve gives a smooth texture that melts in the mouth.

6. Put the mashed potato into a fairly large pan, warm it over a low heat to drive off the moisture, then lay butter cut into pieces of about 20g on top and let the heat of the potato melt it.
   
   
7. Once all the butter has melted, add the warmed milk and cream to the potato in three goes. Each time, stir well with a spatula so that it works into the potato and becomes a smooth paste.
   
   
8. Finish with salt and white pepper. Done.

Method for the keema curry

1. Put the “oil: 3 tbsp” into a pan over a low heat, and once the oil is warm, add the starter spices (the whole-spice sachet).
   
   
   
   
2. When you hear the “mustard seeds (the small black ones)” start to crackle, add the grated garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring them through the spices.
   
   
   
   
3. Add the onion, carrot and celery, stir them thoroughly through the spices, then turn the heat to high and cook properly until deep golden brown.
   
   
   
   

   How far you cook the onion changes the finished flavour enormously. When a curry comes out watery, or the tomato tastes too sharp, or the depth feels thin, the single biggest cause is moving on to the next step before the onion has turned deep golden brown. For this recipe, always cook the onion for 12–15 minutes, frying it properly until it is deep golden brown. The points to watch are Keep the heat at medium to high Spread the onion evenly across the pan and leave it, then stir; spread it evenly and leave it, then stir; and repeat When you stir and feel the onion catching on the base of the pan, add a splash of water, often (in our experience, about 2 tbsp of water at a time, roughly five times in all) That splash of water carries the savoury depth released by the cooking through the whole pan, and lets you reach deep golden onions without burning them. Letting it catch slightly and then adding water actually draws out more of that depth. It takes a little time and attention, but it is the step that decides the flavour, so give it the time it needs.

   
   
   
4. Once the onion is deep golden brown (below is after about 15 minutes of cooking), turn the heat to low, add the tomato purée, salt: 1 tsp and sugar: 2 tsp, then turn the heat back to medium and fry everything together.
   
   
   
   
   
5. When it has become a thick paste, add all of the powder spices and stir them in, thinking of it as cooking the powder spices themselves.
   
   
6. Push the ingredients to the side of the pan, add the minced pork and beef: 200g and, keeping the heat at medium, fry the meat on its own first. Once the meat is cooked through, fry everything together so it is well mixed.
   
   
   
   
7. Add the “water: 100ml”, bring it to the boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
   
   
8. Taste it at the end and adjust the salt.
   
   

And that is it.

Spoon the keema curry onto a plate, float the mashed potato on top, and then all that remains is to eat it 🧸

Buy the spice packs here

Inspice spice curry spice sets contain none of the usual sources of heat — chilli, cayenne pepper or chilli powder — so please add heat to your own taste.