A beautiful spring Sunday and early morning quality time perusing through cookbooks inspired this flavorful dish.  

This Dum Aloo dish is infused with amazing fragrant spices like fennel, cinnamon and cardamons used in Kashmiri cooking. Every household has it’s own variation of a Kashmiri Dum Aloo recipe, some use onions and others use Asafetida (hing). Mine is with fried onion paste for which I used a mortar and pestle the old fashioned way. Onion paste is also commonly used in Mughlai cooking.

Kashmiri red chili powder is what makes it hot. I also carried some cockscomb flower (mawal) powder with me during my last visit which just adds color to the dish. This is totally optional and I have not listed it as an ingredient.

“Dum” cooking is simply a slow cooking method that uses needs a tight lid on the container so the steam can do its magic.  History tells us the technique may be based on earlier Persian cooking methods introduced to India.

The recipe can be thought of in 2 parts so it does not look so intimidating. Get the potatoes ready; get the sauce ready. Mix them and slow cook…easy 🙂

I used round organic red potatoes for this but you can use any variety that is 1 to 1 1/2 inch round. Frankly you could cut up large potatoes in big pieces and use that too. The round potatoes are authentic and look cool.

Don’t forget that you need to use a toothpick to prick holes in the boiled potatoes before frying. This creates the avenue for the spices to seep into the core of the potato.

Very excited to be sharing this with friends on Fiesta Friday

Here is what you need:

• A pound and 1/2 of potatoes ( 10 rounds approx)
• Oil
• 5 black cardamon
• 8 green cardamon
• 5 cloves
• 2 tsp dry ginger powder
• 2 tsp dry fennel powder ( saunf)
• 2 -3 bay leaves
• 3 pieces of 1 inch cinnamon sticks
•  1 tsp red chili powder ( or more if you like)
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp yoghurt beaten with 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp black cumin seeds

• 

Putting it together:

• Wash potatoes and boil until cooked but firm. Use the toothpick test but remember they should be firm.
• Peel the potatoes and prick them well with a toothpick.
• Heat oil in a wide pan and then add potatoes. Fry until slightly golden ( see picture)
• Drain on a kitchen towel and keep aside
• Fry the onion in the same oil, remove and grind.
• Using the same pan with a tablespoon or so of oil in it, add cardamons, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, fennel, ginger, red chili, yoghurt, garlic and the onion paste.
• Stir for few minutes until everything is well mixed.
• Add 3 cups of water, turmeric and salt and let it come to a boil. Add potatoes, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes until the gravy is thick and potatoes have absorbed the color and spices.
• Add the black cumin seeds and mix.

Serve with naan or rice. A dash of lemon juice will add bring out more of the flavor.