Kashmiri Dum Aloo is made using baby potatoes and cooked in a yogurt gravy which is basically very hot and spicy. Unfortunately the creamy, thick and rather bland gravy that is served in the restaurants are not the authentic dum aloo of the kashmiri cuisine. The Kashmiris pandits or the vegetarians depend on the fat of the milk products that are available to them in plenty to protect themselves from the biting cold of the region.
The recipes of Kashmiri cuisine use a lot of milk products and lots of whole spices, dry fruits and nuts that make the dish very rich and fragrant. I got this recipe from my friend J’s father who worked in Kashmir many years ago. He is an absolutely wonderful cook and is very knowledgeable about various Indian cuisines as he has travelled a lot across the country working in various states. This is an authentic, no onion, no garlic recipe and is not of the stuffed kind of baby potato gravies but a very simple one that tastes finger licking good when served with rotis, chapathis, naan etc., I served it with Jeera rice.
Kashmiri Dum Aloo Recipe
Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4
Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish
Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish
Ingredients:
- Baby Potatoes – 1/2 kgs
- Yogurt (Curds) – 1/2 cup
- Cardamom – 2
- Cloves – 2
- Cinnamon – 2 inch stick
- Whole black pepper corns – 1/2 tsp
- Dry ginger powder (sonth) – 1 tbsp
- Fennel Seeds – 1 tbsp
- Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
- Kashmiri Red chili powder – 1 tsp
- Shahjeera – 1 tsp
- Oil – for deep frying
- Salt – to taste
Instructions:
- Wash and scrub the baby potatoes well. In enough water, over high flame pressure cook the potatoes for just 1 whistle and not more. The baby potatoes should be parboiled and firm to the touch and not become mushy and soft. You can also cook this in an open vessel.
- The skin is not peeled originally but if you do not wish to cook it like that, peel the skin off using a peeler. I have cut a few bigger looking potatoes into 2, else keep the potatoes as such. Now prick the potatoes with a fork or tooth pick all around.
- Whisk the yogurt well and keep aside. Pound the fennel seeds in a mortar using pestle or pulse twice in a mixie jar till coarse and keep aside. In a small bowl mix together red chili powder, kashmiri chili powder with 3 tbsp water to a paste and keep it ready.
- Heat a wide frying pan with oil. when it is hot enough, drop the baby potatoes into the hot oil and fry till golden brown. Cook in batches and do not crowd the pan. Drain the potatoes on a tissue paper.
- Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil. Add shahjeera, when it sizzles, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns and roast for 1/2 minute. Simmer the flame and add the chili powder paste and mix well, stirring continuously for 1 minute, else the paste will become burnt and change color.
- Now add the curd, 1/2 cup water, mix well and let it come to a boil.
- Add the deep fried potatoes, dry ginger powder, fennel powder, salt, mix gently and cook over medium flame for 7-10 minutes till the gravy becomes thick.
- Serve hot with rotis, naan or jeera pulao.
Notes:
- It is important to prick the potatoes. This not only helps the potatoes to cook well till the center while deep frying but also prevents any bursting mishaps. Moreover it also absorbs the gravy well.
- If you do not have kashmiri red chili powder, you can either avoid it or replace it with 2 pinch of orange food color.
- While making the gravy, instead of oil, you can use ghee (clarified butter) to make it rich.
- Replace shahjeera with cumin seeds, if you do not have it on hand.
- Make sure that the yogurt is fresh and not too sour as it will completely change the taste of the gravy.
