Dum Aloo, Spicy Potato Recipe

Dum Aloo or Slow cooked, spicy Potato recipe is a popular vegetarian dish in the entire South Asia. Punjabi, Bengali and Kashmiri are the three regional versions of this dish.

‘Dum’ is a centuries old slow-cooking method , introduced to India by the Moghuls and revived by the nawab culture. Par-cooked food is placed in a pot with tight fitting lid to trap the steam inside, traditionally clay pots were used and lids were sealed with flour dough. Then food is cooked with minimum liquid, in it’s own juices and steam on very low heat till it absorbs the flavours of the spices.

This simple and spicy Kashmiri recipe is my favourite, and despite slow cooking gets done in around half an hour. Some people don’t peel the potatoes for a crispier outer layer but I think peeled potatoes absorb more flavour and masala so I prefer to peel mine.

Baby potatoes are ideal for the recipe but if you can’t find them, go for the smallest you can get or cut medium sized into halves.

Asafoetida is one of the most commonly used spice in Kashmiri cuisine. It’s very pungent so always used just a pinch or two. If you can’t find it, you can use 1 teaspoon of onion powder mixed with one teaspoon of garlic powder instead because hing has a very powerful concentrated flavour of onions and garlic.

For Dum Aloo, Spicy Potato Recipe:

6-7 whole small potatoes or baby potatoes
4 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste
1 heaped teaspoon ground aniseed (saunf)
1 heaped teaspoon dry ginger powder
( sounth)
A pinch asafoetida ( hing) Or 1 teaspoon onion and garlic powder each
2 black cardamoms ( badi illaichi)
3-4 cloves ( loung)
Salt to taste

This Is What You Do :

Choose potatoes of more or less same size for even cooking.

Boil and peel potatoes. Potatoes should be still quite firm after boiling, not mushy. Prick them all over with tooth picks or fork.

Wipe dry on kitchen towel so they don’t splatter in hot oil.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Shallow fry potatoes on medium heat till that are golden on all sides, 5-6 minutes.

Remove potatoes from oil, set aside.
Beat yogurt, add red chillies to it. Add this yogurt mix to the same frying pan. Cook till it changes colour, stirring continuously so that it doesn’t catch at the bottom of the pan.

Add all the other spices and 1/2 cup water to it, add potatoes. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to very low.

Let the potatoes cook till they absorb all the masala and the oil separates.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon and garnishing of chopped green chillies.
Tastes great with roti or plain rice.

Serves 2-3 as a side