spicy and delish is this Kashmiri dum aloo where baby potatoes are simmered (dum cooked) in a spicy curd (yoghurt) based gravy or sauce. this is a delicious recipe from the Kashmiri cuisine.
KASHMIRI DUM ALOO
preparation
1: rinse 500 grams baby potatoes (20 to 22 nos) well. remove the mud etc from them by scrubbing or brushing. you can also soak them in some warm water for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse them.
2. take 3.5 cups water + ¼ tsp salt in a pan.
3. add the potatoes.
4. on a medium to high flame boil the water so that the potatoes are half cooked. about 9 to 10 minutes. you can even pressure cook the baby potatoes with 3 cups water for 1 whistle.
5. drain them and allow to become warm or cool down at room temperature.
6. peel the potatoes. this task takes a lot of time, so do it while listening to music or watching your favourite tv show. if you want you can keep the peels too.
7. with a fork, toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the potatoes all over. this is done so that when cooking on dum, the potatoes absorb the flavours of the masala in which they are getting cooked. halve them if they are big or you can keep them whole if they are small and then poke them.
8. whisk 6 tablespoons fresh full-fat curd or yoghurt till smooth. keep aside.
9. in a small bowl, take 3 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder and 2 tablespoons water.
10. mix and stir well to get a smooth mixture.
frying potatoes
11: in a pan heat ¾ cup mustard oil till it begins to smoke.
12. add the parboiled peeled potatoes and begin to fry them on a low to medium flame.
13. with a slotted spoon, turn them over while frying when one side is golden.
14. remove the potatoes which are golden and crisp with a slotted spoon. fry them well or else they remain uncooked from the centre.
15. place them on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil. fry all the potatoes till golden and crisp.
16. if you want you can again poke holes in the fried potatoes. this is an optional step.
MAKING KASHMIRI DUM ALOO
17. lower the flame. remove the extra oil and keep 2 tablespoons oil in the same pan. let the oil temperature come down. in the same oil, add asafoetida powder. stir well. you can also use 2 tablespoons of fresh mustard oil for the gravy.
18. then add the red chilli + water solution and stir well. be careful as the mixture splutters.
19. now add the beaten curd.
20. as soon as you add the curd, with a spoon or wired whisk, stir continuously, so that the curd does not split. add the curd on a low flame.
21. after adding curd, add water and continue to stir.
22. stir and mix very well.
23. then add 1 tablespoon fennel powder.
24. if you do not have ready fennel powder than you have to make it. roast ¾ tablespoon fennel lightly in a small pan or tava. when cooled, then in a mortar & pestle pound the roasted fennel seed to a medium-fine to a fine powder. you can also grind in a small spice grinder or coffee grinder.
25. add the whole spices – 1 teaspoon shah jeera, 1-inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 4 to 5 black peppers & 1 green cardamom (optional).
26. add ½ tablespoon dry ginger powder (saunth). stir well.
27. now add the fried potatoes. stir again.
28. season with salt.
29. stir well.
30. cover the pan tightly with a lid. cook for 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium flame. here we are cooking the potato gravy on dum.
31. the gravy should become thick. you can always add less or more water depending on how thick or thin you want the gravy. if you cook more, the gravy will reduce more. so depending on what you prefer, you can cook for less or more time.
32. sprinkle some caraway seeds from the top (optional) and serve Kashmiri dum aloo hot with steamed basmati rice. the second-best option is to serve with Indian flatbreads like naan, roti or plain paratha.