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Dum Aloo is a spicy, creamy Indian curry made with baby potatoes

Dum Aloo Recipe

Praneetha A Goutham
Dum Aloo is a North Indian curry recipe made with baby potatoes that are fried and slow-cooked in a spicy, yogurt-based gravy.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

To cook the Potatoes

  • 15-20 numbers baby potatoes - adjust quantity as per the size of the potatoes
  • 4 cups water - to cook the potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt - optional

To Pan fry the Potatoes

  • 3 tablespoons oil - to fry the potatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds - optional- can add later while making gravy
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

To Blend (Grind)

  • 1 teaspoon oil - I used cold-pressed sunflower oil
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 number green cardamom
  • 1 number clove
  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger - finely chopped
  • 2 numbers garlic cloves - finely chopped
  • 1 medium size red onion - finely chopped
  • 2 medium size tomatoes - preferably not sour- finely chopped
  • 2 numbers Kashmiri red chilies - skip if using red chili powder later
  • 15 numbers cashews
  • 1/4 cup water - to blend- add more if required

To make the Gravy

  • 1 teaspoon oil - I used cold-pressed sunflower oil
  • 1 large bay leaves - or 3 small ones
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds - can be skipped if you have used while frying potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
  • 3/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 3 tablespoons thick yogurt (curd)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder - skip if you have used Kashmiri red chilies to blend
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt - or as per taste
  • 2 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Instructions
 

Cooking the Potatoes

  • Wash the potatoes well and clean them to make sure there is no mud and dirt on them.
  • Add 4 cups water to a large pan (or a saucepan) and let it come to a boil. Then add the baby potatoes, such that they are all immersed in water.
  • Close a lid and cook the potatoes until they are soft. It can take about 12 minutes on medium-high heat.
  • You have to cook them just until they are soft and tender. Do not overcook them.
    To check, prick one or two potatoes with a fork, and it should go through easily but not break them.
  • Let the potatoes cool a bit, and then peel off the skin from all the baby potatoes using your hand. They will come off easily.
  • Using a toothpick or a fork, carefully prick the potato and repeat the same for all. But be careful, do not break the potatoes.

Shallow frying the Potatoes

  • Heat a pan. Choose a deep bottom large pan so that you can use the same pan to dum cook the curry.
  • Add 3 tablespoons oil to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, add cumin seeds (if using). Let them splutter and then add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder.
  • Cook these powders for about a minute in low heat only, otherwise, you might burn them. Add a tablespoon of water if it is getting burnt.
  • Transfer the cooked and peeled potatoes to the pan. Gently mix them well so that they all get nicely coated with the spices.
  • Roast the potatoes for 5 minutes in low medium heat so that they get a nice brown coating.
    Transfer the roasted potatoes to a plate.

Making the Gravy

  • In the same pan that you previously used, heat a tsp of oil. Add 1-inch cinnamon broken to pieces, 1 clove, 1 cardamom, and roast these in low flame until they turn aromatic.
  • Now add the chopped garlic and ginger. Saute them until they turn slightly brown and the raw smell is gone. Alternatively, you can 1 tsp readymade ginger garlic paste.
  • Next, add the chopped onion and cook until it turns soft and translucent.
    And then add the chopped tomatoes and cook them until they turn soft and mushy, you can add some salt here. Let them all cool down.
  • If you have forgotten to soak cashews previously, soak them now in hot water for 10 minutes until they are soft.
  • The tomato-onion mixture in the pan would have cooled down by now. Transfer it to a large mixer jar. Drain the water from the soaked cashews, and add them also to the jar. Add 1/4 cup water and blend to a smooth paste.
  • Since I wanted the gravy to get an orangish color, I had previously soaked about 2 Kashmiri red chilies in hot water for 5 minutes. I added them to the mixer jar and blended the mixture again. 
  • Again heat oil in the deep bottom pan. Add 1 large or 3 small bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (skip if you have used while frying potatoes).
  • Reduce the heat to low and transfer the blended mixture to the pan. It will start spluttering if the pan is hot, so be careful.
  • Add the dry spices- 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and mix well.
    If you have not used Kashmiri red chilies while blending, you can use 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder here.
  • Simmer this masala in low-medium heat by stirring often, until it gets thicker and creamier.
    It can take about 10 minutes.
  • Once it has simmered well, add 3 tablespoons whisked curd, 3/4 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt. Mix everything well.
  • Then add 2 teaspoons crushed Kasuri methi and finally add the potatoes you had initially pan-fried.
  • Simmer this in low-medium heat by closing the lid (dum cooking) for another 10 minutes at least.
  • The potatoes would have absorbed all the flavors and you will notice the oil would have separated.
    This is now done. Switch off the heat.
  • Serve Dum Aloo with any Indian flatbread like Roti or Chapati, Naan, Kulcha, Paratha, or also with steamed rice or jeera rice (cumin rice).

Notes

  1. You can add some water to the gravy (curry) while simmering, if you find it thick. As I was serving with roti, I kept it thick. Also, it gets thicker as it cools. 
  2. Kashmiri red chili powder or the Kashmiri red chilies both give less heat and more color. So I recommend you use only this and not the spicy variety. If you are using spicy red chilies, reduce the quantity accordingly. 
  3. Use either red chilies while blending or use red chili powder in the gravy. Do not use both. Remember we are using chili powder while frying the potatoes as well, so it can get really spicy. 
  4. Using Kashmiri red chilies while grinding is completely optional. You can still get a nice orangish color if you use Kashmiri red chili powder while simmering the gravy. The color of the gravy deepens as it cooks. 
  5. If you cannot handle spicy food, reduce the quantity of the red chili powder or red chilies than what is mentioned.  
Keyword Dum Aloo Recipe
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