Creamy Dill Potato and Pea Salad

This salad is one of those dishes that tastes like a summer lunch at a relative's house, even when you make it on a regular Tuesday. It sits somewhere between a Western potato salad and the chilled, lightly spiced salads you find across North India, where yoghurt and mustard have been paired for a very long time. Instead of mayonnaise, the dressing is built on hung low fat curds, the kind that have been strained until thick and spoonable. That texture is what makes the whole bowl feel rich without being heavy.

A small food fact worth knowing: baby potatoes hold their shape far better than large floury ones after boiling. Their waxy skin and dense flesh mean they stay in neat pieces when tossed, so you get a salad rather than a mash. Peel them only if you like the smooth look. Leaving a little skin on is fine too, as long as the potatoes are boiled until just tender and no further.

Peas are the other half of the bowl. Green peas are sweet and bright, and they add a pop of colour that makes the pale potato look more inviting. If you use frozen peas, drop them into the boiling water for a minute or two only. Overcooked peas turn grey and mushy, and you lose the snap that makes them pleasant to bite into.

Storage is simple. The potatoes and peas can be cooked a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge, which is actually a good idea because the chill firms them up. Keep the dressing separate until you are ready to serve. Curd thins out and can turn watery if it sits on the potatoes for hours, so a quick fold just before the bowl goes to the table keeps everything creamy. Leftovers keep for a day, but expect them to loosen a little. A splash of cold water or a spoon of fresh curd brings them back.

For serving, this pairs beautifully with something warm and earthy. A bowl of Bold Spiced Black Chickpea Curry makes a lovely contrast, the hot spice against the cool dill. For a lighter lunch, a simple Bengali Red Lentil Curry with Vegetables served with plain rice turns this salad into a full plate. If you want something crisp on the side, the Crispy Baked Fenugreek and Oat Bites add crunch that the soft salad doesn't have.

Taste the dressing before you pour it. Curd varies a lot in sharpness, and the salt should wake the flavours up without making them salty. Add the mustard powder a little at a time if you are not sure of its heat. The dill that goes on top at the end is not just decoration. It adds a fresh green lift that makes each spoonful taste like it was made just now.