Mareena's Recipe Collections

Whenever I wanted to prepare Dum Aloo and looked to buy baby potatoes, luck never favoured me. I had to be satisfied with larger potatoes cut to size. So when I spotted baby potatoes in the market the other day, I couldn’t thank my stars enough.

 There seems to be many versions of Dum Aloo like the Kashmiri Dum Aloo, Amritsari Dum Aloo, Banarasi Dum Aloo etc. My initial trials were based on a recipe written down in my diary long back. However as time passed by, I started trying my own twists to the recipe and came out with this one. I must confess that it doesn’t taste like any of the above mentioned versions. Hence, I think we should aptly name it Mareenas’ Dum Aloo..

Dum Aloo

Ingredients

Baby potatoes- 16
Onions chopped- 2
Chopped tomatoes- 3
Ginger-garlic paste- 2 teaspoons
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Beaten curd- 1 cup
Asafoetida- a pinch
Cumin seeds- 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying potatoes + 2 tablespoons

Method

Cook the potatoes(with skin) with salt. Peel the skin off and prick all over with a fork. Shallow fry in hot oil till golden brown on all sides. Drain onto an absorbant paper.

Heat oil in a pan and drop the cumin seeds into it. When they start to splutter, tip in the asafoetida and stir for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions and cook till they are wilted. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir till the raw smell goes. Add all the powders except garam masala and stir well for a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Let it cook till the oil separates. Switch off the heat and let it cool. Grind the mixture to a fine paste and transfer back into the pan. When it starts to boil, add the fried potatoes and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the beaten curd and mix well and cook for further few minutes. Check the seasoning. Add the garam masala powder and stir well. Switch off the heat and serve with roti or rice.