Dum Aloo is probably the most celebrated and rich potato dish in the Indian Cuisine! Dum Aloo is cooked in many regions across India and every region has added its own flavours and touches to it. But the original Kashmiri dum aloo and the onion-tomato gravy based Punjabi version of it are perhaps the most popular ones!
Both Kashmiri and Punjabi dum aloo use fried, boiled baby potatoes; but the gravies are very different and hence the texture, the colour and the taste.
This is the recipe for authentic Kashmiri dum aloo. The only fresh vegetable that this recipe uses is potatoes. Apart from oil and yogurt, all other other ingredients are in dry powder form. This is an extremely spicy dish and it has a very sharp, distinct flavour. This sharpness comes from the use of ginger powder which is really pungent. The dish has brownish red colour. Kashmiri red chilli powder lends a beautiful red colour to this yogurt based gravy without adding to the hotness of the taste as these chilies are not hot. So, if you want to cook authentic kashmiri dum aloo, kashmiri red chilli powder is a must or your dish might just lack the electrifying colour.
However, in case you can't find kashmiri red chilli powder, you can use ordinary red chili powder but with caution as ordinary red chilli powder will make your dum aloo even more hot and spicy. Cut down on the quantity of ginger powder if you're using ordinary hot red chilli powder.
Dum aloo Kashmiri is traditionally served with rice; plain rice helps mask the sharp spicy flavour of dum aloo. However, it tastes great with poori as well.
Dum aloo Punjabi tastes best with laccha paratha, but it is also a great combination with poori. Being a gravy dish, it goes well with rice too.
So choose for yourself!
Both Kashmiri and Punjabi dum aloo use fried, boiled baby potatoes; but the gravies are very different and hence the texture, the colour and the taste.
Foreword to the Kashmiri Dum Aloo
However, in case you can't find kashmiri red chilli powder, you can use ordinary red chili powder but with caution as ordinary red chilli powder will make your dum aloo even more hot and spicy. Cut down on the quantity of ginger powder if you're using ordinary hot red chilli powder.
Dum Aloo Kashmiri
It's sharp... it's spicy... it's potatoes...
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 30 min.
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 min.
Ingredients
- Baby potatoes - 10 to 12 pieces
- Yogurt - 2 tbsp
- Dry ginger powder - 1 tsp
- Cloves - 4-5 pieces
- Fennel powder - 1 tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 to 1.5 tsp (if using ordinary red chilli powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp or to taste)
- Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
- Green cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (grind 3-4 green cardamoms in a mortar
- discard the peel and use the powder of the black/brown seeds inside )
- Black cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (1-2 black cardamoms powdered as suggested for green cardamoms above)
- Salt - to taste
- Oil - for frying + 2 tbsp
- A whole Kashmiri red chilli and a few chopped coriander leaves - for garnish
Instructions
Boil and peel baby potatoes. Make sure that you don't overboil your potatoes or else they might break and loose structure.
Deep fry these potatoes till golden brown.
Prick them all over with a tooth pick making several holes. (Some recipes suggest pricking before deep frying but that makes the potatoes take in more oil and the dish gets heavier. )
Mix 2 tbsp of yogurt 3/4 cup water and beat well. Keep this ready at hand.
In a pot, heat 2 tbsp oil on a medium high flame. Add cloves and fry till they blow up.
Add all other dry ingredients into the hot oil except salt. Stir and quickly add the yogurt mixed with water.
(The oil should not be too hot or the spices will burn. After stirring in the spices, add the diluted yogurt immediately. This will prevent the spices from getting burnt. )
Stir well to blend the spices and the yogurt properly.
Reduce flame to low.
Add salt and the potatoes. Potatoes should submerge in the yogurt gravy.
Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Keep stirring in between.
In about 30 minutes, all the water will evaporate and the potatoes will be dry but moist and coated with all the spices.
If there is still some water, cook uncovered till all the water evaporates.
Your dum aloo Kashmiri is ready to be served.
Deep fry these potatoes till golden brown.
Prick them all over with a tooth pick making several holes. (Some recipes suggest pricking before deep frying but that makes the potatoes take in more oil and the dish gets heavier. )
Mix 2 tbsp of yogurt 3/4 cup water and beat well. Keep this ready at hand.
In a pot, heat 2 tbsp oil on a medium high flame. Add cloves and fry till they blow up.
Add all other dry ingredients into the hot oil except salt. Stir and quickly add the yogurt mixed with water.
(The oil should not be too hot or the spices will burn. After stirring in the spices, add the diluted yogurt immediately. This will prevent the spices from getting burnt. )
Stir well to blend the spices and the yogurt properly.
Reduce flame to low.
Add salt and the potatoes. Potatoes should submerge in the yogurt gravy.
Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Keep stirring in between.
In about 30 minutes, all the water will evaporate and the potatoes will be dry but moist and coated with all the spices.
If there is still some water, cook uncovered till all the water evaporates.
Your dum aloo Kashmiri is ready to be served.
Dum Aloo Punjabi
It's all in the gravy...
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 30 min.
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 min.
This is yet another dum aloo recipe, but it uses the classic north Indian onion-tomato gravy. As opposed to almost dry Kashmiri dum aloo, Punjabi dum aloo has a semi thick gravy and is not as sharp in flavour. It uses more of fresh ingredients.
Ingredients
- Baby potatoes - 10-12 pieces
- Onion - 1 medium sized (finely chopped)
- Tomatoes - 2 medium sized (pureed)
- Ginger - 1/2" piece
- Garlic - 2-3 big cloves
- Fresh green chillies - 1-2 pieces
- Yogurt - 2 tbsp
- Water - 1.5 cups
- Sour cream - 2 tbsp (optional)
- Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- Coriander powder - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
- Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Oil - for frying + 2 tbsp
- A few chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
Boil and peel baby potatoes. Make sure that you don't overboil your potatoes or else they might break and loose structure.
Deep fry these potatoes till golden brown.
Prick them all over with a tooth pick making several holes. Keep aside.
Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies together to make a paste. Keep aside.
Beat the yogurt, add 1.5 cups of water, mix well and keep aside.
In a pot, heat 2 tbsp oil on medium flame.
Add chopped onion and saute till it turns golden.
Add ginger-garlic-chilli paste and tomato puree.
Saute till tomatoes are cooked and oil separates. (You can add a couple tbsp of water if it gets too dry.)
Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook for about 30 secs.
Reduce the heat/flame to low and add diluted yogurt. Mix well.
Drop in the potatoes and give it a gentle stir.
Cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Keep checking in between. Add a bit of water (1/3 cup) if you feel the gravy has dried up.
Add garam masala and sour cream. Cook covered for another 10-15 minutes.
Your dum aloo is now cooked....:)
You can adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your choice. Add some more water if you like it thin; cook it uncovered on high heat for a few minutes if you want to reduce the gravy.
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander.
Deep fry these potatoes till golden brown.
Prick them all over with a tooth pick making several holes. Keep aside.
Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies together to make a paste. Keep aside.
Beat the yogurt, add 1.5 cups of water, mix well and keep aside.
In a pot, heat 2 tbsp oil on medium flame.
Add chopped onion and saute till it turns golden.
Add ginger-garlic-chilli paste and tomato puree.
Saute till tomatoes are cooked and oil separates. (You can add a couple tbsp of water if it gets too dry.)
Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook for about 30 secs.
Reduce the heat/flame to low and add diluted yogurt. Mix well.
Drop in the potatoes and give it a gentle stir.
Cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Keep checking in between. Add a bit of water (1/3 cup) if you feel the gravy has dried up.
Add garam masala and sour cream. Cook covered for another 10-15 minutes.
Your dum aloo is now cooked....:)
You can adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your choice. Add some more water if you like it thin; cook it uncovered on high heat for a few minutes if you want to reduce the gravy.
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander.
Garnish with a whole Kashmiri red chilli and a few chopped coriander leaves.
Accompaniments to Dum Aloo
The right partner makes a whole lot of difference!
Dum aloo Kashmiri is traditionally served with rice; plain rice helps mask the sharp spicy flavour of dum aloo. However, it tastes great with poori as well.Dum aloo Punjabi tastes best with laccha paratha, but it is also a great combination with poori. Being a gravy dish, it goes well with rice too.
So choose for yourself!
It seems evryone is cooking dum aloo...
So many resources!!!
- This one has a Poppy touch!
- This recipe is slightly different and uses poppy seeds.
- From master chef Tarla Dalal...
- Here, you'll find every possible version of the recipe.
- From master chef Sanjeev Kapoor
- This one is without yoogurt . Truly a different one.
- Yet another Kashmiri dum aloo recipe
- It uses gram flour...even I'd never heard of this.
- My personal favourite Kashmiri dum aloo recipe
- This one comes from a Kashmiri and has authentic flavours!
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