Recipe- Mouthwatering Dhaba Style Dum Aloo

Dum Aloo is a delicious Indian veg potato curry recipe where these mini/little potatoes are simmered in a creamy, flavorful vegetarian gravy.

This meal comes together in 45 minutes, making it perfect for families craving for some restaurant-style food at home.This veg potato recipe was indeed very different from the one I had and that was one more reason for me to try it out. I made it the very same day for my visiting friends.

Ingredients

For Onion Tomato Paste

2 bay leaf
2-3 cloves
2-3 peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp kasoori methi
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1/3 cup cashews
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp Kosher Salt

To Prepare Potatoes

250 gms baby potatoes or 20 baby potatoes
Oil for shallow frying
2 cups buttermilk
1-2 tsp Salt
2-3 green chilies or jalapenos

To Prepare The Curry

1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp ginger paste
5 cloves garlic
2 green chillies minced
1/4 cup Cilantro
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garam masala

Method

For Onion Tomato Paste

- Heat oil in the pan, saute whole spices like bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick along with kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for 4-5 minutes. Fry till the methi releases a nice aroma.

- Now add chopped onions along with cashews and saute till the onions turn translucent.

- Next, you need to add the chopped tomatoes and some kosher salt. Cook till the tomatoes turn soft.

- Pour milk. Cover with lid and let it cook for 10 minutes or till it comes to a boil. Take it off the flame.

- Let this mixture cool down and then transfer it to a blender jar.

- Grind it to a fine smooth paste. Keep it aside for now.

To Prepare the Potatoes

- You need to boil the potatoes al dente first just until they turn soft. Test by sticking in a fork and if it goes in smoothly, the potatoes are done.

- I added them to a microwave-safe bowl and microwaved them for 10 minutes. You can boil them using any method convenient to you. Just be careful to not overcook them, else they will break apart.

- Once done, peel and prick them at a few places using a fork or toothpick. This is done so that they absorb the flavors of the masala well and helps potatoes to become spongy.

- Heat oil in the pan and shallow fry the mini potatoes till they turn light golden. Keep tossing and turning them so that they fry evenly.

- Add buttermilk, salt, and minced green chilies to a bowl. Give it a stir and keep it aside for now.

- Strain the fried little potatoes in paper towels and then immerse them in this buttermilk mixture.

- Let it rest in there for 15-20 minutes at-least. You can prick them once more after frying if needed.

To prepare the Curry

- In the same pan, heat oil. Add and saute ginger paste, part of chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and green chilies for 2-3 minutes or till the smell of raw garlic goes away.

- Then add the prepared onion-tomato masala paste to the pan along with kosher salt and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add water according to your desired consistency.

- Sprinkle paprika and garam masala on top. Give it a stir.

- Lastly, add the soaked mini potatoes minus the buttermilk. Don't add the buttermilk, you can serve it along with Dum Aloo, later. Give the mini potatoes a light mix so that they don't break. Cover the pan and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.

- Garnish with cilantro and some Kasuri methi, then take it off the flame. You can also squeeze lemon juice on top. Serve this delicious Dum Aloo warm with some Indian bread like naan, roti, chapati, puri, or even bhakri.