A (vegan) take on classic Dum Aloo - creamy, luscious, flavorful and aromatic North Indian Curry that brings India on a plate! Slow simmered and labor of love but sure does bring out that lip-smacking tangy, sweet, spicy notes to this curry, best eaten piping hot with Basmati rice or Naan.
Ingredients
FOR COOKING THE POTATOES
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15-20 baby potatoes
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
FOR SHALLOW FRYING THE POTATOES
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3-4 tablespoons cooking oil or butter
FOR MAKING SAUCE-GRAVY
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1 bay leaf
1-2 whole dry red chilies
2 green cardamoms, whole
1 black cardamom, whole (optional)
2-3 cloves, whole
2 inch cinnamon stick
⅔ cup red onion, puréed (1 medium onion)
½ cup tomato, puréed (1 big ripe tomato)
¼ cup ginger-garlic-chili paste (from 2 green chilies+1.5-inch ginger+5 big cloves of garlic+2 tablespoon water)
1-2 teaspoon tomato paste (optional)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder* (read notes)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tablespoon kitchen king masala ( yes, a tablespoon!)
1 teaspoon Kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves, crushed (optional but nice to have!)
25 raw cashew nuts
¼ + ½ cup oat milk ( read notes*)
¼ cup cooking oil (you could always use less)
¼ cup water ( to thin out the sauce, if needed)
1 ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or to taste
2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Method
Wash and prep the baby potatoes, making sure there is no trace of dirt or mud left.
In the blender jar, blend onion to form puree without adding water. Transfer it to a small bowl and set aside.
In the same blender (no need to wash), blend tomato to form puree without adding water. Transfer it to a small bowl and set aside.
In the same blender (again, no need to wash), blend ginger-garlic-green chilies. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help it blend and form a puree. Transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
Next, add cashew nuts and ¼ cup oat milk to the same blender and blend till creamy. Set aside.
In a large saucepan or pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add the baby potatoes and salt, making sure that all the potatoes are submerged in water.
Cook it till potatoes are fork tender (poke one with a fork or knife to check), this will take around 10-15 minutes depending upon the size of your potatoes. Do not overcook them!
Let the potatoes cool off a little and then peel the skin off, making sure to not break the potatoes.
In a medium frying pan, preferably non-stick, heat 3-4 tablespoons of cooking oil or butter over medium high heat. Add the potatoes and cook till they are golden brown on most sides. You could also deep fry them at this stage if you want. Set aside.
In a heavy bottom pan, heat cooking oil over medium low heat. Once oil it hot, add the whole spices – bay leaf, whole red chilies, green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick. Cook it for 30-40 seconds, making sure to not burn the spices but just let them become aromatic.
Next, add the pureed onion and cook it low and slow for 3 minutes.
Once onion puree smells almost cooked, add the ginger-garlic-chili paste. Mix it well and cook it covered for 4 minutes.
Add all the powdered spices – turmeric, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, kitchen king masala, fennel seed powder and salt. Combine spices well with the onion-ginger-garlic-chili mixture. Add 1-2 teaspoon of tomato paste if using. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes uncovered, making sure the spices do not burn! Lower the heat if necessary.
Next, add the pureed tomato, stir well and cook covered for 3 minutes again.
Remove lid, and add the cashew paste and mix everything well. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. The sign you are looking for here is the oil separating from the sides and from the sauce-gravy. If you do not see oil separating from the sauce, then cook for another few more minutes.
Uncover the lid and add the remaining ½ cup oat milk. Add ¼ cup or more of water only if needed to thin-out the sauce. Let it simmer for couple of minutes.
Add the baby potatoes you fried earlier to the cooked sauce-gravy.
Now add crushed "Kasuri methi"/dried fenugreek leaves and stir it well. Taste test and adjust the salt if needed. Cover and simmer the potatoes in the sauce for 10-12 minute with the lid on!
Remove from heat and sprinkle some chopped cilantro.
Our Dum Aloo is ready! Serve it hot with Rice, Naan or other choice of flat bread.
My Notes
This Dum Aloo curry is moderately spicy, if you are making for the very first time, I would suggest to cut down on heat. To go easy on the heat, I would suggest only adding Kashmiri red chili powder, skip the red chili powder. To even further reduce it down on heat, the addition of green chilies can also be skipped or just use 1. FYI – Kashimiri red chilies are well known for their bright orangish-red color than spice, so they have less heat. This is what gives the Dum Aloo its signature orange-ish color.
You could also deep fry the potatoes if you would like, that would sure result in crispier and flavorful potatoes. Though my method of shallow frying is healthier and there is no wastage of oil. You can also just use straight up boiled peeled potatoes in this recipe to make it even healthier.
I have used Oat milk for this recipe and highly recommend it due to its sweetness and creaminess. You can substitute with other choice of milk that not of runnier consistency. Using coconut milk is not suggested for this recipe, it will likely overpower the dish.
This curry thickens as it cools so adjust the consistency according to that. To thin it out add water in 3-4 tablespoons increments.
The spices mentioned could easily be found in an Indian Grocery store. Or try amazon.
The Dum Aloo tastes best when served fresh! To make this recipe easier, you could boil the potatoes and peel them a day ahead. You can also make the sauce-gravy 1-2 days ahead and store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
You could also freeze the sauce in an airtight container or portioned out in ziplock bags. Just heat the sauce well before adding the potatoes and it will make the weeknight meal prep easier.
Recipe by at https://www.urbancilantro.com/punjabi-dum-aloo/