About Dum Aloo

Dum aloo is a North Indian curried dish where baby potatoes are steam cooked in a delicious gravy. The word Dum means “cooked with steam” and aloo means “potato” in Hindi. So dum aloo is a slow cooked potato curry, which basically uses the dum style of cooking. In Indian cuisine there are a lot of dishes made by dum cooking. Dum biryani, dum aloo, dum baingan are some of the popular dishes. These dishes are cooked by sealing the pot to trap the steam. These are basically slow cooked which makes the dishes very flavorful & delicious. Dum aloo is one of the classic Indian dishes served in a special meals like weddings, celebrations or festivals. There are different ways a dum aloo is made. Some use besan, some use only spice powders & some use both besan & yogurt. Also there is a variation, Kashmiri dum aloo which is made with just yogurt and spices. In this post I share 2 recipes to make this dish. The first dum aloo recipe shared here is made in a restaurant style. So it is creamy, spicy and super delicious. The second recipe is to make an no onion no garlic dum aloo. You can make the recipes in an instant pot too. Find the instructions in the recipe card below.

How to Make Dum Aloo (Stepwise Photos)

Prepare potatoes

  1. I have used 450 to 500 grams baby potatoes, but you can also use large potatoes. Wash, peel & cube them to 1½ inch. If using uneven sized baby potatoes, cut the large size ones to make all of them the same size. This way they cook evenly.
  2. Bring 3 to 4 cups water to a boil in a pot. Then add the potatoes and boil them till half cooked. To check, prick the potato with a fork. You should feel it hard but not very hard. Remove them from water and cool completely. Also ensure there is no water over them.
  3. This step is optional but the texture of potatoes fried in oil is very nice. Pour 3 tablespoons oil to a wide non-stick and heat it. Add the potatoes and fry them on a medium high heat until golden.
  4. I drained off the oil after 2 minutes and pan roasted them until golden. I do this just to avoid heating oil for a long time. You may do the same. Set these aside. Prick each of them with a fork in 2 to 3 spots, so the potatoes absorb some flavors.

Preparation for gravy

  1. Boil 1¼ cup onions (230 grams) in 2 cups water until transparent for about 6 to 8 mins. This step helps to remove the pungent smell and bitter taste from the onions. Drain them & rinse well. Add the cooled onions, 1 cup tomatoes (180 grams) and 12 cashews (24 split) to a blender jar. Tip: Though blanching onions is recommended, I have used them raw here as I don’t have the bitter taste problem. But I highly recommend this step as sometimes later you may taste the curry bitter.
  2. Make a smooth paste. If your blender is not strong enough then filter the puree otherwise the gravy will not be smooth enough.

Make Dum Aloo Gravy

  1. Heat the pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add 1 bay leaf & 2 green cardamom. Saute just for a minute. Add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and 1 slit green chili (optional). Saute until the raw smell goes off for about a minute.
  2. Add the ground onion tomato puree.
  3. Saute until the paste thickens and raw smell goes away.
  4. Add

¾ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon turmeric¾ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder¾ to 1 teaspoon sugar1 teaspoon garam masala. I used this punjabi garam masala.¼ teaspoon fennel seeds powder 1 teaspoon coriander powder.

  1. Saute until the onion tomato masala begins to leave the sides of the pan. Make sure the raw smell has completely gone before you proceed with the next step.
  2. Add ¼ cup yogurt to a small bowl and whisk it until smooth. Then add 2 tablespoons of the onion tomato masala to it. Mix all of them well and add it back to the pan. This prevents the yogurt from curdling. [Note: Actually I add it directly to the pan and it never curdles. But I hear a lot of people say it curdles. If the yogurt is very runny it may. So this tip works well even if the yogurt is runny.]
  3. Saute until it thickens and bubbles.
  4. Add the fried potatoes and then ½ cup water. If needed add ¼ cup more.
  5. Bring the gravy to a boil. Cover with a air tight lid or foil. Then dum cook on a very low flame for 5 to 7 mins. Check whether the potatoes are soft cooked. Make sure the gravy has reached a thick consistency. It thickens a bit more when cooled.
  6. Add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi. Cook for just a minute. Switch off. Transfer to a serving bowl. Keep dum aloo covered until you serve. Serve with plain paratha, laccha paratha, naan, roti, plain basmathi rice or jeera rice. More Indian potato recipesPotato curryAloo gobiPotato kurma

Pro Tips

In restaurants to make dum aloo recipe, most times potatoes are deep fried which impart a great unique melt-in-the-mouth texture to the potatoes. They turn light, tender, delicious and flavorful when added to the spicy gravy. This texture can however not be got by just boiling or steaming them. For a home cooked dum aloo recipe to make the dish healthy, the potatoes can be boiled and used. However I have parboiled them for 3 to 4 mins, then fried them in 3 to 4 tbsp oil for 3 to 4 mins. Then drained the oil and fried until golden. Then they are added to the gravy and dum cooked for a brief time. The dum cooking process makes the aloo very flavorful and delicious.

Servings suggestions

Dum aloo goes great with ghee rice, plain basmati rice, jeera rice, lachha paratha, plain paratha, puri, naan or roti.

Recipe 2 – No onion No garlic Dum aloo

Ingredients

250 to 300 grams baby potatoes3 to 4 tablespoons oil1 bay leaf200 grams tomatoes (1 ½ cup chopped, avoid sour tomatoes)½ cup green peas (optional)½ teaspoon cumin seeds or shahi jeera1/8 teaspoon hing/ asafeotida½ teaspoon fennel powder1 teaspoon ginger paste1 teaspoon red chilli powder½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)1 teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)1 ½ teaspoon coriander powder¼ cup yogurt15 cashew nuts to blend (or blanched & soaked almonds)¾ to 1 cup water (more if required)1 tablespoon coriander leaves (fine chopped)

Instructions

  1. Boil 250 grams potatoes until slightly tender but undercooked.
  2. Drain them to a colander and prick each potato a few times (2 to 3) with a fork. Let them cool and air dry for a while. Meanwhile blend the yogurt with cashews to a smooth puree. If using almonds, soak them in hot water for 4 to 5 hours, peel and use.
  3. Pour 3 tbsps oil to a small pan and add the potatoes. Fry them until blistered or light golden. Remove and set them aside.
  4. Pour 2 tbsps oil to a hot pot or pan. If you want you can use the same oil in which you fried the potatoes. Regulate the flame to low and add bay leaf and half tsp shahi jeera or cumin seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to splutter, add 2 pinches of hing and half tsp fennel seeds powder.
  5. Stir and add 1 teaspoon ginger paste. Saute until aromatic.
  6. Add 200 grams tomatoes, half teaspoon salt and half cup green peas (optional). Saute until the tomatoes turn mushy and soft.
  7. Next add red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder.Saute until the masala smells good and begins to separate the oils.
  8. Then add the potatoes.
  9. Add the ground yogurt cashew paste. Stir and cook for a few minutes until bubbling. Pour ¾ cup water. Bring it to a gentle boil.
  10. Cover with a tight lid or foil. Simmer completely and dum cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and the gravy becomes thick. Taste test and adjust the spices and salt if required.Add coriander leaves and serve dum aloo with roti, poori or with basmati rice.

Notes

To make in instant pot, skip frying the potatoes.Perform all the steps on saute mode (except adding yogurt cashew paste). Add the potatoes.Pressure cook for 4 to 5 minutes depending on the size of your baby potatoes.Add the yogurt and cashew paste after the pressure drops. Take a few tablespoons of gravy to the yogurt and cashew paste bowl. Mix and then add to the dum aloo in the instant pot.

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