Be it Alur Dum from Bengal, Kashmiri Dum Aaloo from Kashmir, or Punjabi Dum Aaloo (not exactly from Punjab but well-liked in north India), irrespective of the variation, Dum Aaloo is one of the most popular curries back home and a must on vegetarian wedding menus.
‘Dum’ means cooking food on low-flame, consistent pressure, and cooking it slowly for the flavours to mature and shine completely. ‘Aaloo’ means potato so ‘Dum Aaloo’ literally refers to slowly cooked potatoes.
The quality and quantity of Dum Aaloo in my life have gone considerably up after getting married. My husband loves potatoes and this curry is one of his all-time favourites. After trying all the variations, we make this one the most often. It’s closest to the Punjabi Dum Aaloo with a little touch of your fancy cocinera.
Dum Aaloo is best enjoyed with roti, naan, parantha, or pulaao. You can find the link to Hariyaali Roti (spinach flatbread) here. Try this perfect fall recipe and enjoy a cozy, little siesta thereafter!
Dumdaar Dum Aaloo
Enjoy the steps!
Ingredients
- 20-22 baby potatoes, washed, peeled, and pricked
- 2 medium onions, puréed
- 4 medium tomatoes, puréed
- 10-12 cashew nuts, soaked in warm water and puréed
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mango powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (or as per taste)
- 1/2 black cardamom, smashed
- 1 green cardamom, smashed
- 1/2 -1 cup water
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- To marinate potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 fennel seeds powder
Directions
- In a bowl, add all the marination ingredients and mix well to make the oil-spice paste. Toss and coat the potatoes in this paste. Cover and keep them marinated for a minimum of 15 minutes.
- In a karahi or deep pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add marinated potatoes and shallow fry them on medium-high heat until lightly golden. It will take about 6-8 minutes. Once done, keep them aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil again. Add asafoetida, cumin, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, black and green cardamom. Roast the spices on medium-low flame for a couple of minutes.
- Now add onion and cook until lightly brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for 3-4 minutes. Now add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Remember to stir at regular intervals.
- Once the tomatoes get cooked, the gravy will have a deeper shade of red and you’ll observe some oil on the sides. Add salt, sugar, coriander powder, mango powder, garam masala, and red chilli powder. Mix well and do a seasoning taste check.
- Add cashew paste to the gravy and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes, cover the lid and cook on low flame for 10 -12 minutes. If required, add water in small quantities and stir every 2-3 minutes so that the gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the potatoes are soft and fully cooked, remove them from gas. Sprinkle crushed kasuri methi on top and mix well.
- To serve, transfer into the serving bowl, garnish with cilantro and cashews and serve hot!
Tips:
- You can use mustard oil instead of olive oil. To cook in mustard oil, make sure you heat it on medium-high flame for 2-3 minutes to get rid of its pungent smell and flavour.
- The dish has variations and it can be semi-dry or with gravy. You can adjust the consistency as per choice.
