Authentic Kashmiri dum aloo recipe

14 Jan Authentic Kashmiri dum aloo recipe

Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by blessmyfoodbypayal

Kashmiri dum aloo recipe | authentic recipe of kashmiri dum aloo | easy dum aloo recipe with step wise pictorial and video method.

Kashmiri dum aloo are spicy & aromatic deep fried whole baby potatoes soaked in deep red gravy made of curd & water along with minimal Indian spices.

As my brother’s wife is from a kashmiri family, so I love to learn kashmiri cuisine from her and it was the outcome of her guidance that my previous kashmiri recipe “kadam” came out so good & on the same track, these kashmiri dum aloo recipe is also exceptionally well.

There are certain things peculiar to kashmiri dum aloo which you shouldn’t skip reading :-

Potatoes : The potatoes used in kashmiri dum aloo are always baby potatoes. Potatoes are kept in whole in this recipe and this is the reason only small sized one are used because they can be cooked easily deep inside.

However you can take the liberty and use medium sized but never the big one.

Oil : Either it is preparation of gravy or frying potatoes, kashmiri dum aloo only ask for mustard oil.

Actually it’s not about dum aloo, but mustard oil is inseparable from kashmiri cuisine. Almost every cooking is being done in mustard oil in kashmir.

For frying potatoes, you can use refined oil but that will amount to compromise with taste and traditional method.

Also in kashmiri food, oil is used little more than the other cuisines. So if you find oil in gravy on too much higher side, don’t get surprised.

Curd/YOGHURT : There’s a general notion that kashmiri dam aloo ask for curd in huge quantity & people do add as such. Whereas it is not the fact & you need few tablespoons of curd instead of full filled cups.

Colour : the kind of red chili powder you use for making dum aloo defines your dish.

Dum aloo always have deep red colour & it can only be attained by using kashmiri mirch or degi mirch because this mirch is more strong in colour than spiciness.

There should be nothing which dominates or even slightly diminishes the redness of dum aloo & that is why turmeric powder is not used at all.

Also don’t take the quantity of red chilli powder by surprise. They are truly very spicy. We have added 1.5 tsp of red chilli powder but if these dum aloo would have been made by some typical kashmiri family, quantity of chilli would be more high.

Gravy : Generally people add much of curd to bring thickness in the gravy. One, the gravy of dum aloo is never too much thick and it is more on watery side.

Second, the requisite thickness in gravy doesn’t come from curd but from fennel powder. We have added 2 tsp of fennel powder but you can add ranging from 1 tsp to 3 tsp.

As earlier said, in kashmiri culture, there’s more use of oil and recipes ask for extra oil than regular. Hence the gravy of dum aloo is little watery having too much of oil seen floating over the top.

Satvik : we have not added onion & garlic & this omission is not a deliberate attempt to make dum aloo satvik. Kashmiri dum aloo never uses onion garlic & if someone is using, they are not kashmiri dum aloo in the real sense of the term.

Furthermore, even fresh ginger is not used in it & only dry ginger powder, which is called sounth is used.

Serving : kashmiri dum aloo are generally served with white steamed rice.

Actually in kashmiri culture, there’s hardly any use of roti/chapati. There was a time when kashmiri people  never used to buy flour & rice was part of their 3 times meal.

Unfortunately, migration has brought down kashmiri cuisine to certain adjustments & now they have started eating chapatis too. but even today, typical kashmiri families eat rice as the first and only priority.

So saying this that kashmiri dum aloo can only be served with rice is not a matter of choice but this is culture. Though we ate it with chapatis.

Also see : More of the recipes from Jammu and kashmir

Step wise pictorial recipe of Kashmiri dum aloo recipe

For boiling potatoes

Place whole potatoes in pressure cooker. Add water and salt & pressure cook for 1 whistle. If you do’nt have pressure cooker, you can boil potatoes anyways you want to.

For frying potatoes

1. Take out potatoes from the pressure cooker and let them turn slightly cool so that you can touch them comfortably and then remove their skin.
2. Pierce all the potatoes very well from all sides around one by one using a toothpick. Avoid using fork because it may cause your potatoes break. This step is important because it will help the flavours to enter inside potatoes.
3. Heat mustard oil in kadai/pan till it reaches smoking point. Then drop all potatoes very carefully in hot oil for frying. Turn their side as and when required.
4. Let them turn golden brown from all sides on medium flame. When they are done, take them out on a paper nepkin so that extra oil gets absorbed. Keep aside.

For preparing dum aloo

1. Take a pressure cooker and add 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in it. We have taken out this 3 tbsp of mustard oil from the kadai/pan in which potatoes were fried. Again, you can make it in regular pan if you don’t have pressure cooker.
2. As this oil is still warm (not boiling hot), so first add red chilli powder in it. You need to be careful about the temperature of oil while adding red chilli powder. Too much hot oil will burn your chilli & thereby your dish will be spoiled. Wait a bit if oil is too much hot.
3. Give a mix to chilli & while the flame is still off, add asafoetida, caraway seeds,  black cardamom, dry ginger powder, fennel powder, cloves and salt.
4. On the flame to low and give a mix to all these spices and thereafter add curd and immediately saute for a minute otherwise curd gets curdled.
5. Drop fried potatoes and mix them properly with the spices. Handle gently and don’t over do otherwise potatoes may break.
6. Add water in pressure cooker. The quantity of water depends on how you are going to eat dum aloo. With rice needs extra gravy than with roti. We added water as per chapati requirement. Put the lid of pressure cooker on and go for 2 whistles on high flame.

Your kashmiri dum aloo are ready. Serve hot with rice or roti after garnishing with crushed caraway seeds.

NOTE

1. Don’t think of garnishing your dish with coriander leaves. Kashmiri dum aloo doesn’t support flavour & aroma of coriander leaves.
2. You might be surprised to see we have cooked dum aloo in pressure cooker whereas everywhere it is show being cooked in a pan. But rest assured & nothing to worry. Pressure cooking will not harm your potatoes, rather will help gravy & all spices to immerse deep inside potatoes.

Kashmiri dum aloo recipe – recipe card

Authentic Kashmiri dum aloo recipe

blessmyfoodbypayal

Kashmiri dum aloo recipe is spicy & aromatic deep fried whole baby potatoes soaked in deep red gravy made of curd & water along with minimal Indian spices.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Curry, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Kashmiri

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

For boiling potatoes

• 14 baby potatoes
• Water an inch above potatoes
• 1/4 tsp salt

For frying potatoes

• Boiled potatoes
• Mustard oil as per need

For preparing dum aloo

• Fried potatoes
• 4 tbsp Curd/Yoghurt
• 1.5 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Carraway seeds/shahi jeera or cumin seeds
• 2 tsp fennel powder/saunf powder
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder/sounth
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing
• 3 cloves
• 1 black cardamom/moti ilaychi
• 3 tbsp mustard Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1.5 cup Water

Instructions

 

For boiling potatoes

• Place whole potatoes in pressure cooker. If you don't have pressure cooker, you can boil potatoes anyways you want to.
• Add water and salt & pressure cook for 1 whistle.

For frying potatoes

• Take out potatoes from the pressure cooker and let them turn slightly cool so that you can touch them comfortably.
• Remove their skin.
• Pierce all the potatoes very well from all sides around one by one using a toothpick. Avoid using fork because it may cause your potatoes break. This step is important because it will help the flavours to enter inside potatoes.
• Heat mustard oil in kadai/pan till it reaches smoking point.
• Drop all potatoes very carefully in hot oil for frying. Turn their side as and when required.
• Let them turn golden brown from all sides on medium flame.
• When they are done, take them out on a paper nepkin so that extra oil gets absorbed. Keep aside.

For preparing dum aloo

• Take a pressure cooker and add 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in it. We have taken out this 3 tbsp of mustard oil from the kadai in which potatoes were fried. Again, you can make it in regular pan if you don't have pressure cooker.
• As this oil is still warm (not boiling hot), so first add red chilli powder in it. You need to be careful about the temperature of oil while adding red chilli powder. Too much hot oil will burn your chilli & thereby your dish will be spoiled. Wait a bit if oil is too much hot.
• Give a mix to chilli & while the flame is still off, add asafoetida, caraway seeds,  black cardamom, dry ginger powder, fennel powder, cloves and salt.
• On the flame to low and give a mix to all these spices.
• Add curd and immediately saute for a minute otherwise curd gets curdled.
• Drop fried potatoes and mix them properly with the spices. Handle gently and don't over do otherwise potatoes may break.
• Add water in pressure cooker. The quantity of water depends on how you are going to eat dum aloo. With rice needs extra gravy than with roti. We added water as per chapati requirement.
• Put the lid of pressure cooker on and go for 2 whistles on high flame.
• Your kashmiri dum aloo are ready. Serve hot with rice or roti after garnishing with crushed caraway seeds.

Notes

1. Don't think of garnishing your dish with coriander leaves. Kashmiri dum aloo doesn't support flavour & aroma of coriander leaves.
2. You might be surprised to see we have cooked dum aloo in pressure cooker whereas everywhere it is show being cooked in a pan. But rest assured & nothing to worry. Pressure cooking will not harm your potatoes, rather will help gravy & all spices to immerse deep inside potatoes.

Keyword dum aloo, kashmiri cuisine