Dum Aloo Recipe in Kashmiri & Punjabi Style - Selvel Global

Dum Aloo Recipe How can someone not feel tempted by cute little potatoes? Dum Aloo is a delicious recipe made with baby potatoes cooked in a gravy or sauce. It’s versatile when it comes to pairing it with rice or roti. Follow along with this step-by-step Dum Aloo recipe!

ABOUT KASHMIRI DUM ALOO 

Spicy and delicious is this Kashmiri Dum Aloo where baby potatoes are simmered (dum cooked) in a spicy curd (yoghurt) based gravy or sauce. This recipe of Kashmiri dum aloo is more like the way the actual Kashmiri dum aloo is – sour and spicy. It also abstains from the use of onion and garlic.  The use of adding Kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch is highly recommended as they are not very hot or pungent and give a nice red colour to the final dish.

So scroll down to make spicy Kashmiri dum aloo!

• Chole Malasa Recipe
• Gulab Jamun Recipe
• Methi Mattar Recipe 

INGREDIENTS FOR KASHMIRI DUM ALOO 

For Cooking Potatoes

1. 500 grams potatoes or 20 to 22 baby potatoes
2. 3 to 3.5 cups of water
3. ¼ teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients

1. 3 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder (or Deghi mirch), mixed with 2 tablespoon of water
2. ½ tablespoon ginger powder
3. 1 tablespoon fennel powder
4. 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (shah jeera)
5. 1 inch cinnamon
6. 3 cloves
7. 1 black cardamom
8. 4 to 5 black peppers
9. 1 green cardamom - optional
10. 6 tablespoon fresh full fat curd, beaten or whisked till smooth (yoghurt)
11. 1.5 cups water
12. ¾ cup mustard oil for frying potatoes
13. 2 tablespoon fresh mustard oil for making gravy or reserve 2 tablespoons mustard oil from the ¾ cup that is used for frying potatoes.
14. salt as required
15. some caraway seeds as garnishing - optional

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation

1. Rinse the baby potatoes well. Brush or scrub the mud etc. from them. Take 3.5 cups of water in a pan. Add the potatoes.
2. On a medium to high flame boil the water, so that the potatoes are half cooked.
3. Drain them and allow them to become warm or cool down at room temperature.
4. Peel the potatoes. This is the perfect time to tune in to your favourite songs or TV shows since it’s time-consuming. If you want you can keep the peels too.
5. With a fork, toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the potatoes all over. Halve them or you can keep them whole if they are small. This is done so that when cooking on dum, the potatoes absorb the flavours of the masala in which they are getting cooked.
6. Whisk the fresh full-fat curd or yoghurt till smooth. Keep aside.
7. In a small bowl, take Kashmiri red chilli powder and water.
8. Mix and stir well to get a smooth mixture.

Frying Potatoes

1. In a pan heat mustard oil till it begins to smoke.
2. Add the parboiled peeled potatoes and begin to fry them on a low to medium flame.
3. With a slotted spoon, turn them over while frying, when one side is lightly golden.
4. Remove the potatoes which are golden and crisp with a slotted spoon. Fry them well or else they remain uncooked from the centre.
5. Place them on kitchen paper towels. Fry all the potatoes till golden and crisp.
6. If you want you can again poke holes in the fried potatoes. This is an optional step.

Making Kashmiri Dum Aloo

1. Lower the flame. Remove the extra oil and keep 2 tbsp oil in the same pan. Let the oil temperature come down. In the same oil, add asafoetida powder. Stir well.
2. Then add the red chilli + water solution and stir well. Be careful as the mixture splutters.
3. Now add the beaten curd. When you are adding the curd, with a spoon or wired whisk, stir continuously, so that the curd does not split. Add the curd on a low flame.
4. After adding curd, add water and continue to stir.
5. Stir and mix very well.
6. Then add fennel powder. If you do not have ready fennel powder then you have to make it. Roast the fennel lightly on a pan or tava. When cooled, then in a mortar & pestle pound the roasted fennel seed to a medium-fine powder. You can also grind in a small spice grinder or coffee grinder.
7. Add the whole spices and ginger powder. Stir well.
8. Now add the potatoes. Again stir.
9. Season with salt and stir again.
10. Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium flame. Here we are cooking the potato gravy on dum.
11. The gravy should become thick. 
12. You can always add less or more water depending on how thick or thin you want the gravy. If you cook more, then the gravy will reduce more. So depending on what you prefer, you can cook for less or more time.
13. Sprinkle some caraway seeds on top (optional) and serve Kashmiri dum aloo hot with naan, rotis or rice

ABOUT PUNJABI STYLE DUM ALOO

This Punjabi dum aloo has a tang from tangy tomatoes and a sweet hint from onions and cashews and in combination with the usual Indian spices, what you get is a creamy and delicately spiced & flavoured dish. This recipe is made without curd. As a substitute for yoghurt (curd or dahi), lemon juice is used. However, the gravy would equally taste good with dairy yoghurt or vegan yoghurt. You can serve it with roti or naan or jeera paratha or saffron rice or masala rice or jeera rice or rumali roti.

INGREDIENTS

1. 10 to 12 baby potatoes
2. 1 large onion
3. 1 large tomato
4. ½ inch ginger
5. 2 to 3 garlic
6. 2 tablespoon broken cashews or 10 to 12 king sized cashews soaked in water for 30 minutes
7. 1 black cardamom
8. 1-inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
9. ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
10. ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
11. 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
12. 1 teaspoon fennel powder (ground coriander)
13. ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
14. ½ tablespoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon curd (yoghurt)
15. 1 to 1.5 cups of water
16. 1 or 2 tablespoon coriander leaves for garnishing (cilantro leaves)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS PUNJABI STYLE DUM ALOO

Preparation

1. Rinse the baby potatoes and wipe them dry. 
2. Keep the peel on. Halve or quarter them if big or keep them whole.
3. Shallow or deep fry in medium hot oil till they are golden browned and completely cooked.
4. Grind the soaked cashew to a smooth paste. 
5. Grind the onions, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Also, blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree.

Making Vegan Dum Aloo

1. Heat 2 to 3 tbsp oil. Add the black cardamom and cinnamon. 
2. Fry till the oil becomes fragrant and then add the onion-ginger-garlic paste.
3. On a low flame fry the paste till it becomes golden brown and the oil separates. 
4. This takes about 9-10 minutes.
5. Add the tomato puree to the browned paste and stir.
6. After 3-4 minutes, add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, and fennel powder one by one.
7. Stir again and fry till the oil separates. Takes about 10-12 minutes.
8. Now add the cashew paste and yoghurt (if you are going to use yoghurt, at this stage).
9. Again fry the masala paste till the oil separates. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
10. Now add approx 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Bring the gravy to a boil.
11. Add fried potatoes and simmer for some 4-5 minutes till the gravy thickens.
12. Lastly add lemon juice (if you are going to use this, at this stage). Add salt. Mix well.
13. Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves. 
14. Serve vegan dum aloo hot with Rotis or steamed basmati rice.

You can always try more variations and create your own!