Description
Dum aloo is a flavorful Indian dish featuring tender baby potatoes cooked in a rich, spiced yogurt-based gravy. The potatoes are first boiled and lightly fried before being simmered in a fragrant masala sauce with a blend of aromatic spices, yogurt, and chickpea flour, resulting in a creamy, mildly spicy curry perfect for serving with rice or Indian breads.
Ingredients
Scale
Potatoes
- 500g baby potatoes, peeled
Masala and Spices
- 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cardamom pods
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp kalonji seeds (nigella seeds), plus extra to serve
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 tsp fenugreek
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
Sauce
- 1 tbsp gram flour (chickpea flour)
- 250g Greek yogurt
- 100ml water
To Garnish
- Chopped coriander
- Garam masala
- Cashews
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes: Put the peeled baby potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Fry the potatoes: Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the boiled potatoes and fry them for 3-4 minutes until they are lightly golden all over. Remove the potatoes from the pan and set aside.
- Prepare the masala base: In the same pan, add the finely chopped onion, cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, and kalonji seeds. Fry this mixture for 6-8 minutes until the onion turns golden and the spices are fragrant.
- Add tomato and spices: Stir in the chopped tomato, ginger and garlic paste, fenugreek, chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander, and cumin. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the tomato softens and the spice mixture is aromatic.
- Mix yogurt and gram flour: In a separate bowl, combine the gram flour (chickpea flour) and Greek yogurt, stirring until smooth and well blended to prevent lumps.
- Combine sauce and potatoes: Stir the yogurt and gram flour mixture into the masala pan. Pour in 100ml water and bring the sauce to a simmer for 1 minute. Then add the fried potatoes and stir gently to coat them evenly with the masala sauce.
- Simmer to finish cooking: Cover the pan with a lid and steam the potatoes in the sauce over low heat for 8-10 minutes, allowing them to absorb the flavors and the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Garnish and serve: Before serving, sprinkle the dish with extra kalonji seeds, chopped fresh coriander, a pinch of garam masala, and cashews for added texture and aroma.
Notes
- If baby potatoes are unavailable, small regular potatoes can be used but adjust boiling time accordingly.
- Using Greek yogurt gives the sauce a creamy texture and tangy flavor; regular yogurt can be used but whisk well to avoid curdling.
- Adjust chili powder to control heat level according to preference.
- Kalonji (nigella) seeds add a distinct flavor but can be omitted if unavailable.
- This dish pairs well with plain basmati rice or Indian breads like naan or roti.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: Dum aloo, Indian potato curry, baby potatoes, vegetarian Indian recipe, yogurt-based curry, spiced potato dish
