These Kashmiri potatoes are cooked in a spicy yoghurt sauce, Kashmiri dum aloo is a wonderful recipe from the Kashmiri cuisine.
The word “dum” means a technique of cooking in a sealed pot, over low heat; a technique often used in dishes with a Mughal heritage. There are several recipes in this book that use this technique.
Kashmir is a quite cold region, often seen as a place to visit to escape the summer heat. This colder climate encouraged robust cooking and this version of dum aloo is a robust, winter, family dish.
To suit your own tastes, you may reduce the Kashmiri chilli powder a little. You might even increase it a little without spoiling the dish. Whatever you do, make sure you use this Kashmiri chilli powder to get the red colour that is the trademark of this dish.
It is your choice whether you peel the potatoes or not. But please do make sure all the potatoes are of a similar size. This will help even and consistent cooking.
Although the recipe calls for baby potatoes, it can be made with larger potatoes, but they must be cut into pieces about the size of a halved baby potato, so that the dish cooks properly.
This recipe can be served on its own, perhaps with rice or roti. It can be served as part of a larger meal. It makes a great accompaniment to rogan josh.
the recipe
about
equipment
equipment
- large pot
- skewer
- wire rack
- wide pan with lid
- small frypan
ingredients
ingredients
for the potatoes
- 400 g baby potatoes - halved
- 1 tbsp salt
- 125 ml mustard oil
for the masala
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp asafoetida powder
- 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp caraway seeds - (shah jeera)
- 10 black peppercorns
- 3 cloves
- 1 black cardamom pod - broken open
- 1 green cardamom pod - broken open
- 1 stick cassia
- 250 ml yoghurt
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- 1` tsp salt
for serving
- ½ tsp caraway seeds - (shah jeera)
instructions
instructions
to cook the potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them, then bring the pan to a boil. Once the pot is boiling, add the salt, then boil the potatoes until just cooked but still firm inside when tested with a skewer. This will take around ten minutes. Drain, then set the potatoes aside on a rack to dry and cool.400 g baby potatoes – halved, 1 tbsp salt
- Take a pan that is just large enough to hold all the potatoes in a single layer. Place on medium heat and add the mustard oil.125 ml mustard oil
- When the oil starts to smoke add the potatoes, cut side down, and fry until golden and crisp. This will take around ten minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the oil and place them on absorbent paper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, poke holes in them using a toothpick or skewer. This helps the potatoes absorb the flavours of the masala in which they will be finished. Set aside.
to cook
- Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and toast for two minutes, or until spices darken and become aromatic. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little. Transfer to a grinder and grind to a smooth powder. Set aside.1 tsp fennel seeds
- Make a paste with the asafoetida, Kashmiri chilli powder and a little water. Set aside.1 tsp asafoetida powder, 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- Remove the extra oil from the wide pan, keeping about two tablespoons of the oil. Remove any small pieces of potato from the oil to prevent burning.
- Return the pan to to the heat and add the caraway seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, cassia stick and salt. Mix well.½ tsp caraway seeds – (shah jeera), 10 black peppercorns, 3 cloves, 1 black cardamom pod – broken open, 1 green cardamom pod – broken open, 1 stick cassia
- When the spices sizzle, add the asafoetida and Kashmiri chilli paste and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to very low, then add the yoghurt to the pan one tablespoon at a time, mixing well before adding the next spoonful. This helps prevent curdling.250 ml yoghurt
- Add the ground fennel seeds, ginger powder and salt to the pan, and mix well.2 tsp ginger powder, 1` tsp salt
- Add half a cup of water to the pan and mix well.
- Add the potatoes and gently fold, covering each potato in the masala. Cover the pan and cook on low-medium heat until the masala thickens. This should take around ten minutes.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Cook for another two minutes until the masala thickens more. If the gravy is too thick, add a little water.
to serve
- Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the caraway seeds.½ tsp caraway seeds – (shah jeera)
notes
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