Dum Aloo / Potatoes in Yogurt-Tomato-Onion Gravy
'Dum' cooking is a traditional method of slow-cooking, normally on a bed of coal with pots over them, sealed with flour and water so that no heat escapes it. Sometimes coal is spread out on the pot lid to distribute heat evenly. Thanks to our modern-day cooking accessories, nothing takes that much effort, though the difference in change is definitely debatable. Dum aloo is not something I make often because I try to avoid using the mixer on weeknights and normally don't buy pureed stuff in cans (or anything in cans for that matter, except milkmaid!).
This was made on a weekend a few weeks back when I was in a lovely mood to cook and I followed the recipe I had scribbled down from mom-in-law, to the last letter.What I Used:
Baby Potatoes / New potatoes - 15 nos
Tomato - 1 large, chopped
Onion - 1, chopped
Green chilly - 2
Ginger - a 1" piece
Garlic - 3 cloves (or 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste)
Yogurt / curd - 2 Tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander (cilantro) leaves - for garnishing
Spices:
Coriander / malli powder - 2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
All purpose curry masala - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / jeera / jeerakam - 1/2 tspHow I Made It:
1. Wash the potatoes and boil in water till cooked. Cool, peel and keep aside. (I cooked them in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle)
2. Puree the tomato and keep aside.
3. Grind the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilly to a paste.
4. Beat curd to remove any lumps and mix all the spices in it. Stir well to make a paste. Add a little water if too thick.
5. Heat oil in a pan and when hot, add the cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering and turns brown, add the onion-chilly-ginger-garlic paste and fry for about 3 mins.
6. Now add the yogurt mix and stir continuously for 4 mins.
7. Mix in the tomato puree and the add the potatoes. Cook covered for 2 mins and then leave pan open on a medium flame and cook till the oil separates from the gravy. Add salt.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rotis/chapatis.
Posts
I just saw a recipe for Aloo-dum in a recipe show..your method seems to be an easy one..!!As always,lovely pic!!
ReplyDeleteLooks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteI say dum aloo is yum aloo. :) And an easy recipe too.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly do you mean by all purpose curry masala?
That looks great and is easy too :) I like the no-grinding too.
ReplyDeleteThis looks yummy Nags. I love dum aloo...
ReplyDeleteDum aloo an all time favorite. Looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteI love potatoes in any form..and this looks so tasty dear..btw,I loved that collage on left side with post links.could u please tell me how to make it??
ReplyDeleteseems to be very easy gvary. never tried this one. bookmarked! lovely pic.
ReplyDeleteLaavanya - but there IS grinding :)
ReplyDeleteVarsha - left you a note in your blog, enjoy :)
Aparna - I am sorry, should have linked to my curry malasa recipe. Have done so now. You can use garam masala as well :)
Love Dum Aloo...Love Potatoes...period !
ReplyDeleteLooking for some baby potatoes now :-)
I am about to begin living all by myself, and your recipes wil surely be handy! Great website, tempting pics and good simple recipes :)
ReplyDeletekeep 'em comin!
Love this. Simply yummy.
ReplyDeletethat looks totally comforting Nags! looks like your mom-in-law is a great cook indeed:)
ReplyDeletewith the glaze of that oil on top, the pic makes me all hungry:)
ReplyDeleteLooks lovely,as you have cooked when you had a lovely mood to cook:)
ReplyDeleteNicely presented
ReplyDeleteRamkumar
that looks good N, I bet this gravy will be a nice base for chicken as well...
ReplyDeleteDum Aloo looks delicious
ReplyDeleteVery simple recipe, and love the photo. That's what really sold me on this one. Where can we get 'baby potatoes'?; will normal potatoes do?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Dum Aloo.I din know it was so easy 2 make. My mouth is watering sure i'll try it 2day.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI saw your recipe and got so excited and tried out today, but it turned out to be a big flop! :(
1) potatoes became very mushy for 3 whistles
2) frying onion paste for 3 mins was not enuf. they were still raw.
3) tomato puree was still raw and was not cooked well..
overall it had to go down the drain.
What went wrong actually!
Pratima
Oh that's sad Pratima. Here are my thoughts on what could have gone wrong.
ReplyDeleteDid you use new potatoes / baby potatoes? The ones I get in Singapore take long to cook and stay firm, yet cooked, after 3 whistles. If you use normal potatoes, one whistle should be more than enough. I have edited that in the recipe as well.
Normally, I don't cook onion paste for too long and 3 mins was a close approximation. This could change with the type of onions used, quantity, etc. Next time, try tasting the onion paste while cooking to determine if its done, instead of sticking to the exact time in recipe :)
I have mentioned in the recipe that one you add tomato puree, you have to cook covered for 2 mins and then in the open pan until oil separates from gravy. Did you try that? Basically, you have to cook for about 5-6 mins, until oil separates.
Hope these tips help. Again, use any recipe as an approximation and adapt according to the quality, quantity and nature of ingredients you use.
Good luck next time :)
Your dum aloo looks absolutely delicious. First time here on your blog. Very neatly organized and well presented. Loved browsing through your blog... :-)
ReplyDeleteI have posted my version of Dum Aloo in my blog My Scrawls. Do have a look at it when you get time. Would be happy to receive your comments... :-)
Hi Naga, I made this yesterday, and it turned out to be awesome! Really liked the simple recipe, I didn't find it too difficult to make the pastes. I let the gravy thicken a little in the end, since I wanted semi-dry gravy. Also, my baby potatoes were not very uniform, so for the slightly bigger ones, I gave pricks with a fork so that the potatoes would absorb some masala.
ReplyDeleteBtw, I am also the non-can person, I buy only milkmaid, and in case of emergencies, readymade coconut milk. I've often wondered why anyone would want to use readymade ginger-garlic paste etc and spoil the taste, when all it takes is an additional 2-3 min to peel and pound:D Shreya (next on agenda - gobi manchurian)
haha.. thanks for trying the dum aloo shreya. this is actually my mom-in-law's recipe. she has a bunch of these very simple and easy recipes in her list and usually has no measurements so i watch her and learn, whatever little time we spend together :)
ReplyDeleteLove Dum Aloo...Love Potatoes...period !
ReplyDeleteLooking for some baby potatoes now :-)
Tried this yesterday, nags... It came out wonderfully!! :)
ReplyDeleteThnk u very much! Vl try out benarasi version soon too! :D
Keep ur service gng on :P
HI Nags,
ReplyDeleteI tried this recipe yest. I used the normal big potatoes (abt 4) & cut into med cubes. But after cooking, it was quite dry. Not like the pic shown. Should I increase the tomatoes the next time. Taste wise, nice..
yes, and also increase the amount of yogurt
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