DUM ALOO दम आलू

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DUM-ALOO ( Fried Baby potatoes in spicy gravy)

INTRODUCTION

Dum aloo is prepared in Northern India from Kashmir to Bengal. Each state has its own version and different ingredients and different cooking methods. Among potato curries, Dum Aloo can rightly be termed as the Man among mice or the Emperor among Kings. The taste and the sheer visual appeal of this dish is great. I like this curry very much because it tastes different with Roti and Parathas and different with rice. The recipe I am giving, is as usual, different from all the recipes you would have tried so far and have got tired using the same. So let us start being different. !!!

PAN OF DUM ALOO (a stage just before adding fresh curds for gravy)



DUM ALOO, PARATHAS AND CHILI PICKLE





INGREDIENTS

(for a family of four , two helpings)
Baby Potatoes 500 gms or 2 lbs.
Capsicum (medium) 1 no.
Green Chilli (med. Hot) 2 to 3 nos
Onion paste (from) 2 onions(1/2 cup)
Ginger Garlic Paste 2 tbsp
Tomatoes 2 nos
cumin Powder 1/2 tsp
coriander Powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chili powder 1.5 tsp
Garam Masala 1.5 tsp
Fresh curds 1/2 cup
Tamarind paste 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Sugar 1 to 2 tsp
Oil/Ghee for frying 200 ml
Oil/Ghee for tampering 2 to 3 ladles.
Salt to taste

Note:For best results, please grind and powder coriander and cumin seeds just before use.


TAMPERING INGREDIENTS

Jeera (cumin) 1/2 spoon
Cinnamon 1 " sticks 3 to 4 nos.
Cloves 5 to 6 nos
Cardamom 2 to 3 nos (optional)



METHOD OF PREPARATION

Select small baby potatoes of no more than an inch in diameter. Wash and pressure cook in a pressure pan till 3/4 cooked . Remove the pan from fire and peel the potatoes after they are slightly cold. If you let them cool fully, you will not be able to remove the skin easily.
Take a spoon of salt and a little turmeric and smear the potatoes with them properly and set aside to dry any excess moisture from surface.
Prepare pastes of Garlic and Ginger, onions, also make paste of Green chili and capsicum and Tomatoes and set aside.
Prepare all the dry spices and arrange in a dish. Also keep all the tampering spices handy along with them.

Take oil/Ghee in a kadai/wok and fry the baby potatoes on a medium flame till each potato is golden brown. Due to smearing of salt, the top layer may be a bit flaky and crisp. Set aside.

Remove excess oil from kadai and retain about 60 ml and add all the tampering spices. Heat on a low flame till cloves start puffing up. Now add onion paste and Fry till golden brown . Add ginger garlic paste and fry for exactly one minute. Now add Capsicum-chilli paste and fry till oil starts leaving the mass. Add tomato paste and continue frying and stirring. Do not let the gravy stick to sides or bottom at any stage. Now add all the dry spice powders and fry the gravy with powders for about a minute and half. Add curd and salt at this stage and mix thoroughly. Now add the fried baby potatoes in the gravy and first marinate all the potatoes in kadai for about five minutes. Now add water (two cups) and tamarind paste and sugar, and set the flame on sim and let the curry simmer for five to six minutes.

Remove the Dum Aloo from stove and let the curry sit for about 45 minutes. Do not garnish with anything except your love . Reheat and serve with parathas, Poories or chapathis or rice.

Enjoy