Kashmiri dum aloo recipe - Baby potatoes are boiled and shallow fried in mustard oil, then dum cooked in spiced yogurt gravy.
Every region has their own version of making dum aloo recipe e.g. Amritsari dum aloo, banarasi dum aloo, bengali dum aloo, bharwan dum aloo and so on. I am planning to make all of them one by one and will share it here.
This dum aloo is totally different from the one we get in restaurants. The restaurant one has creamy onion-tomato gravy. I have already shared that version.
The flavor of this gravy is very different than usual gravy recipes. Give it a try, you will sure love this. since baby potatoes are shallow fried in mustard oil and also gravy is cooked in this oil. It imparts its own flavor to the gravy which I like the most.
Kashmiri red chili powder is used here to get the bright red color of the gravy. This variety is not that spicy so I have added little extra. If using regular chili powder then reduce the quantity.
The spices used in this kashmiri dum aloo recipe are different than usual and those are very fragrant. Dry ginger powder, fennel seeds powder, cardamom powder are used which gives unique flavor to the dish.
Very little amount of yogurt is added which adds slight tang to it. Be careful and quick while adding yogurt to the gravy. As soon as you add, quickly stir the gravy so it will not curdle or separate.
Usually any dum aloo recipe calls for baby potatoes and I have used the same. But this can be made with regular sized potato as well. If so, boil the potato, peel the skin and cut into big chunks. Then use in the recipe.
Pricking the potatoes is most important step in making this curry. If you have pricked properly then potatoes will absorb gravy. That way potatoes become very soft, light and flavorful.
This kashmiri dum aloo recipe is from a cookbook and I assume that this is the authentic way of making it. I have followed the recipe exactly without making any changes. The outcome was just fantastic.
UPDATE: the old recipe uses good amount of yogurt and I get mixed review about it. Many faces the issue with having very sour gravy because of the amount of yogurt used. So I have revised the recipe here entirely.
Check out other potato recipes
Aloo tamatar ki sabzi // Aloo matar // Aloo bhaji
How to make kashmiri dum aloo recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Take baby potatoes and wash or scrub them very well. Take them into pressure cooker. Add enough water so potatoes are submerged in the water. Add big pinch of salt. Cover with lead, put the weight on. Let it cook on medium heat for 1 whistle.
2) Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid. Drain the potatoes from water. Once they are cool to touch, remove the skin.
3) If your potatoes are big then you can half them. Now using fork, prick the potatoes from all the sides. It takes some time, but please do not skip it. By doing so, potatoes can absorb the gravy flavor while cooking into the gravy.
4) Heat the mustard oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add pricked baby potatoes and shallow fry them. Keep moving them occasionally for even browning.
5) While potatoes are frying, let’s prep other ingredients. Take kashmiri red chili powder in a small bowl and dissolve it into ¼ cup of water.
6) In another bowl, take yogurt and add ½ cup of water and whisk very well. Keep it aside.
7) Let’s check the potatoes, they should be golden brown.
8) Once fried from all the sides, drain excess oil and remove them on the paper towel lined plate.
9) Use the remaining oil for making gravy. If you are not left with much oil after frying potatoes, you can always some more fresh mustard oil. In the hot oil, add whole spices (bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick) and saute for a minute or so. You will get nice aroma of the spices.
10) Now add prepared red chili powder paste, it may bubble a lot because of the water. So be careful.
11) Now add prepared yogurt water.
12) Stir it immediately, so yogurt will not curdle or separate.
13) Now add dry ginger powder, cumin powder and fennel seeds powder. Also add salt. Mix well.
14) Let the gravy come to a boil.
15) Now add fried baby potatoes. if needed add more water.
16) Cover the pan with tight fitting lid, lower the heat to LOW and cook for 10-15 minutes. If the lid is not tight then you can put some weight on top of the lid. After that dum cooking time, you will have thick gravy and potatoes have absorbed some flavors.
17) Lastly add cardamom powder and shahi jeera.
18) Mix well. Turn off the stove heat.
Kashmiri dum aloo is ready to serve. Remove it to a serving bowl and garnish with some more shahi jeera.
Serving suggestion: Serve kashmiri dum aloo with roti/phulka or paratha or naan. It can be served with plain steamed rice.
Kashmiri dum aloo recipe
Ingredients
- 10-12 or 225-250 grams Baby potatoes
- Salt - to taste
For kashmiri dum aloo recipe:
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder Mixed in ¼ cup of water
- 2 tablespoons Plain yogurt Mixed in ½ cup of water
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Cloves
- ½ inch Cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon Dry ginger powder (sonth or saunth)
- ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon Shahi jeera (kala jeera or black cumin seeds)
Instructions
Cooking baby potatoes:
- Take potatoes and wash or scrub them very well.
- Take them into pressure cooker. Add enough water so potatoes are submerged in the water. Add big pinch of salt.
- Cover with lead, put the weight on. Let it cook on medium heat for 1 whistle.
- Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid.
- Drain the potatoes from water. Once they are cool to touch, remove the skin.
- If your potatoes are big then you can half them.
- Now using fork, prick the potatoes from all the sides.
- Heat the mustard oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once hot add pricked baby potatoes and shallow fry them.
- Keep moving them occasionally for even browning.
- While potatoes are frying, let’s prep other ingredients.
- Take kashmiri red chili powder in a small bowl and dissolve it into ¼ cup of water.
- In another bowl, take yogurt and add ½ cup of water and whisk very well. Keep it aside.
- Let’s check the potatoes, they should be golden brown.
- Once fried from all the sides, drain excess oil and remove them on the paper towel lined plate.
Making kashmiri dum aloo recipe:
- In the remaining hot oil, add whole spices and saute for a minute or so.
- Now add prepared red chili powder paste, it may bubble a lot because of the water. So be careful.
- Now add prepared yogurt water. Stir it immediately, so yogurt will not curdle or separate.
- Now add dry ginger powder, cumin powder and fennel seeds powder.
- Also add salt. Mix well.
- Let the gravy come to a boil.
- Now add fried baby potatoes.
- Cover the pan with tight fitting lid, lower the heat to LOW and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- If the lid is not tight then you can put some weight on top of the lid.
- After that dum cooking time, you will have thick gravy and potatoes have absorbed some flavors.
- Lastly add cardamom powder and shahi jeera.
- Mix well.
- Turn off the stove heat.
If you mix the yogurt with a bit of bessan (chickpea flower) in a bole before adding it, it will not break. I supposed you could use a bit of any nut or bean flower, we allways use bessan in HP. India.
——from a granny who cooks .
True that helps. Thanks for sharing the tip.
Oil floating on dum aloo
Any idea why? What i do now
that is normal because it has yogurt. It makes fat to release, so oil does float on top.
Next time you can reduce the oil amount.
For how much time should i cook on low heat for 1\4th recipe, instead of 10-15 mins? I am making for one person and water quantity looks very low for reduced recipe.
This recipe serves 2 people. If you 1/4th the recipe, you will get just a little.
Anyways, cooking time will be same, but do not follow blindly, check in between and adjust accordingly. I have never made such small amount of food, so not sure.
wow!! thanks soo much for the tip - adding cashew powder to prevent the curd from curdling. i was always concerned abt this while adding yogurt. thanks a bunch. bookmarked this recipe.
yes Sona, this is very useful tip. I read it from one cookbook, and I read many no. of books so I do not remember from which book I read this tip. it amazed me also when I first read it.