‘Dum Aloo’ is a delicious potato based gravy delicacy from one of the most beautiful regions of India – Kashmir. Usually prepared with baby potatoes (a variety of potatoes which are small in size), it is cooked and soaked in a gravy with spices for flavour, and with yogurt / tomatoes for mild sourness. Slow cooked spice and sour soaked potatoes taste heavenly.
The below said variation of Kashmiri Dum Aloo is easy to cook and is less oily too. I have opted to slow cook the potatoes rather than frying / sauting it in oil. It tastes just as good, even without frying in oil!
Also, this version of Kashmiri Dum Aloo is without onion / garlic, thus making it “No onion, no garlic Kashmiri Dum Aloo”, suitable for all occasions.
Dum Aloo:
Potatoes, baked, grilled, cooked, boiled or fried, is the most convenient and readily available around the year, all over. Back in India, this dish has different variations in different regions. Though originally from Kashmir, it is popular across India, each region bringing in its own unique taste to the dish, making it lipsmacking. Yogurt forms a very important part of the authentic Kashmiri style of cooking. To bring in this authenticity, I have used traditional spices like asafoetida, fennel seeds, cardamom and the rest, along with Kashmiri red chilli powder. To bring in the richness in the gravy, I have used powdered cashew nuts. The use of Kashmiri Chilli powder imparts the beautiful colour to the dish, without adding much on the spiciness.
Among other quick curries, you may also like ‘Capsicum Yogurt curry‘ which is once again ‘No onion-no garlic’.
Few other curries : Curries
Few other interesting recipes without onion or garlic
Well, lets quickly look into this easy to prepare, lip smacking gravy dish :
Total Time: 30 minutes
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Baby potatoes: 20
Water: 3 cups
Salt: Little
For the gravy:
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 2 tsp.(Mixed with 2 tsp. of water)
Cloves: 3
Cardamom: 3
Pepper: 4
Cashews: 15 (Powdered)
Gram flour: 1 tbsp.
Kasuri Methi: 0.5 tsp.
Asafoetida: 0.5 tsp.
Cinnamom: 1 inch stick
Curds/Yogurt: 1 cup
Water: 1 cup
Salt: to taste
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Coriander powder: 0.5 tsp.
Oil: 3 tbsp.
Fennel seeds: 1 tsp.
Quick Video:
Method:
- Wash the baby potatoes clean to remove off the mud. In a pot, add enough water. Transfer the washed potatoes to it. Add little salt and cook in medium heat, until it is cooked. This may take about 5 – 10 minutes of time. Once cooked, drain the water and let the potatoes cool
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the Kashmiri chilli powder with water and keep aside
- Now, carefully peel the potatoes. This could be the only time consuming task in the entire dish preparation. In my case, it didn’t take much time for me as the potatoes were of good quality. Also, my daughter helped me a bit in removing the peel!!! It was an interesting activity too for her. Now, carefully pierce the potatoes using a toothpick. This is done so as to let the gravy penetrate
- In a pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander powder, asafoetida, kasuri methi, cashewnut powder, gram flour and fry until their raw smell goes off
- Now, to the above, add the chilli – water mixture and mix well. Add curds/yogurt and whisk well so that it doesn’t curdle. Care should be taken while adding the chilli-water mixture as it will splutter. Add water and continue mixing. Continue whisking as the gravy thickens and oil starts to separate. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes
- Add potatoes, salt and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes
- Kashmiri Dum aloo is ready to serve. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or fresh rotis / chapathis.
Note :
- Dum Aloo usually has a gravy with thick consistency. But, you may adjust the consistency with water, according to your requirement
- I have used Kashmiri chilli here as it imparts a very good flavour and colour to the dish, without making it too spicy
- Continuous whisking is very important when you add curd to the pot, else it will start to curdle
Kashmiri Dum Aloo Stories:
While on my routine groceries shopping, I found fresh baby potatoes in the rack and all that came to my mind was – Dum Aloo. Then began a series of flash backs. Most of the restaurants serving North Indian delicacies bring the right taste in almost all the dishes prepared. Dum Aloo is one dish, where there is a deviation. Not everywhere did I like this dish. To be frank, I loved it when we happened to visit a local restaurant during our visit to Kolkata. Also did I like it, in our restaurant visits during our stay at Kanpur. Though, the Bengali and the Uttar Pradesh versions of Dum aloo varied from each other, with both being different from the Kashmiri Dum Aloo version that we looked at today, they both tasted equally good. I have tried out different versions of Dum Aloo. I found that the Kashmiri Dum aloo is the easiest one and most importantly, I can prepare it on auspicious days when onion or garlic is not to be consumed / cooked at home. But ultimately, nothing like tasting Kashmiri Dum Aloo at a Kashmiri Pandit’s household. I remember my dad narrating his Jammu & Kashmir and Vaishno Devi travel stories and his visit to one of his good friend in Jammu (who happened to be a Kashmiri Pandit), the warmth, the lavish food served of which Dum Aloo too was a part of. I remember him saying a lot about the food, the people and region. That day, I got to know a lot about the Kashmiri tradition, culture, food and more, from him .
Years later, I now have a good friend, who is also a Kashmiri and who shares quite a few interesting stories from there.
Well, Germans love potatoes. Needless to say, varieties of potatoes are grown and sold here and there are even more varieties of dishes baked / cooked from them. When we pass by the streets in the evening, we can smell the aroma of potatoes being baked, differently in different households.
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