Dum Aloo

Dum Aloo is a North Indian, Kashmiri Dish. ‘Aloo’ refers to Potato and the recipe calls for cooking on low heat for a long time with the lid on. This helps all the aroma get captured inside and once it’s done and you open the lid, the fragrance is just blissful. The spice blend is also quite different and therefore I’ve included the recipe for the masala powder as well. My husband usually doesn’t eat Potatoes except for French Fries. But the flavor in this particular dish is so amazing that he ended up eating it. He also promised that he would eat potatoes anytime if it were so flavorful. So here’s the recipe for Dum Aloo.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 peeled and boiled Baby Potatoes
• 1/3 cup finely chopped Onions
• 1 tbsp. Fennel Seeds
• 1 tbsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp. Coriander Seeds
• 5 pods of Green Cardamom
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• ½ tsp. Garam Masala Powder
• ¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder
• Salt to Taste
• 1 tbsp. Sugar
• 1½ cup Yogurt
• 1 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 tbsp. Clarified Butter (Ghee)
• 1 tbsp. Oil
• Chopped Coriander Leaves for Garnish

Method:

• Heat Oil in a Pan.
• Add the Potatoes and keep tossing them until they are golden brown. (Note: While you boil the potatoes, Peel them before hand and pierce them with a fork all around. This will help them get the flavor from the Masala).
• Once the Potatoes are Golden Brown, keep them aside.
• Now in a clean pan, dry roast the Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Coriander Seeds and Green Cardamom. Make sure you don’t burn them. You’ll know it’s done once they start releasing the aroma.
• Grind all of them into a fine powder and keep aside. (That’s the Masala Powder).
• Take the yogurt in a bowl and add the ginger garlic paste and mix well. Then, pass the mixture through a sieve.
• Add the Clarified Butter (Ghee) in a deep Pan.
• Add the Onions and cook until they turn golden brown.
• Lower the heat and add Red Chili Powder, Turmeric, Garam Masala Powder, Salt, Sugar and the Masala Power mix you just made.
• Mix well and then add the Yogurt mixture, cover and cook on medium high for a minute and then add the Potatoes.
• Now Place a flat pan under the pan in which you are cooking and cook 2 minutes on high heat and on medium low for 15 minutes. ( Keep the lid in throughout).
• Transfer the Dum Aloo into a serving Bowl and Garnish it with Chopped Coriander Leaves.