Reduce heat and simmer very gently, covered (we also crimp some aluminum foil around the lid edges to ensure a good seal), for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked. Add tomatoes, yogurt, salt, and the fried potatoes (in one layer), and bring to a boil. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, red pepper, and garam masala all at once, and stir rapidly for 15 seconds. Add ginger, and fry for an additional 30 seconds. Fry until the onions turn caramel brown (the onions will become kind of sticky and the oil will separate from them - about 15 minutes), stirring constantly so that they do not burn. (This is an essential step, as the browning prevents the potatoes' falling apart during prolonged cooking.) With a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl.Īdd the rest of the oil to the pan along with the onions. Fry them until they acquire several tiny browned spots and a crust (about 8-10 minutes), turning and tossing them to ensure even browning. When the oil is very hot, drain the potatoes, pat them dry on paper towels, and add to pan with oil. of the vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan that can hold all the potatoes in one layer (such as a 5-quart casserole cast iron Dutch oven is great) over medium-high heat. Put them in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to cook them. Roast this masala again for 10 minutes or until the water evaporates.Peel potatoes and prick them in 4 or 5 places. Tip in the tomato puree, cashew paste, powdered spices, yogurt and salt. The final taste of any gravy made in the Indian style depends a lot on how well you roast it in the initial stages. This is an important step, so don't skip it. If the masala starts sticking to the pan, add a few tablespoons of water while roasting. Roast this masala very well so that the raw smell goes, and it becomes thick and shiny. Follow immediately with the onion and ginger-garlic pastes. Heat the oil in a medium-hot skillet and put the whole spices (black cardamom, cloves and peppercorns) in it. To make things easier, you can put the tomatoes and cashews together in the blender and make one paste. Make the cashew paste: Put the pre-soaked cashews in the blender along with some soaking water to make the cashew paste. Make the tomato puree: put the tomatoes in the blender and blend. However, if you want to make them together for the sake of convenience, add 2 medium onions, 8-10 garlic cloves and an inch long piece of fresh ginger along with ¼th cup water to a blender and blend until you get a smooth paste. I don't do this because I like to make a big batch of ginger-garlic paste which I keep in the fridge for later use. Do the same with the ginger and garlic.Īlternatively, you can put all three together in the blender and make one paste. Make the onion and ginger garlic pastes: put the chopped onion with a few tablespoons water in a blender and whiz until you get a smooth puree. Mix in Kashmiri red chilli and turmeric powders. Make the dry masala: put fennel, cumin and coriander seeds in a spice grinder and whiz. The potatoes in dum aloo are traditionally deep-fried, but I have found that shallow frying gives almost the same results. I don't peel the potatoes as I find it very time consuming. Shallow fry in hot oil until browned. Take them out of the water and let them cool down. You can prep the potatoes in a saucepan or in an instant pot if you have one. The skins should not split since we are going to simmer them in gravy later. Prepare the ingredients for dum alooīoil the baby potatoes until they are soft but still firm. However, once you have everything ready, putting it together is a cinch. There is a fair bit of advance prep involved in making dum aloo before you get to the actual cooking.
Dum aloo how to#
At the end of the day, both recipes are winners in my book! How to make this Punjabi dum aloo recipe Or because the other ingredients, like fennel and yogurt, are common to both. The Kashmiri version is made without any onions, tomatoes or even ginger and garlic, yet, the taste is distinctly dum aloo-ish! Maybe because the cooking technique is similar. If you love your spuds like I do, try a close cousin of this recipe, Kashmiri dum aloo. Have this dish with hot naan or steamed rice and you'll become a fan for life. The cashews make the gravy wonderfully smooth and creamy, and the yogurt adds a very pleasing tang to it. It has a fantastic onion-tomato gravy that is taken to the next level with the addition of cashews and yogurt. Punjabi dum aloo is a hearty potato curry that you are sure to fall in love with.