Dum Aloo Kashmiri

Dum Aloo is a jewel of Kashmiri Pandit cuisine — the Hindu Brahmin culinary tradition of the Kashmir Valley — where baby potatoes are deep-fried until blistered, then slow-cooked (dum means steam-pressure) in a brilliant crimson yoghurt gravy fragrant with fennel and dried ginger. Kashmiri chilli gives colour without overwhelming heat.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 600 g (1.3 lb) baby potatoes (golf ball-sized)
• Oil for deep frying

Gravy:

• 4 tbsp (60 ml) mustard oil (or neutral oil)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 250 g (1 cup) full-fat plain yoghurt, whisked smooth
• 2 tsp (4 g) Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp (2 g) ground fennel seeds
• 1 tsp (2 g) ground dried ginger (soonth)
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground cumin
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground coriander
• 1 tsp (4 g) salt
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• Pinch of asafoetida (hing)

Instructions

1. Boil baby potatoes in salted water 10–12 minutes until just cooked but still firm. Drain and prick each potato several times with a fork.
2. Deep-fry potatoes in batches at 175°C (350°F) for 4–5 minutes until golden and blistered. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until smoking, then reduce heat to medium. Add asafoetida, bay leaves, and whole spices. Fry 30 seconds.
4. Add yoghurt in a steady stream, stirring constantly — it will splutter, so stand back. Cook, stirring, 5–6 minutes until yoghurt dries out and oil begins to separate.
5. Add Kashmiri chilli, fennel, ginger, cumin, and coriander. Stir 2 minutes.
6. Add fried potatoes and water. Stir gently to coat potatoes. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat possible for 20–25 minutes (dum cooking), shaking pan occasionally rather than stirring.
7. Serve with steamed rice or layered into biryani.

Cook's Notes: Kashmiri Pandit cooking uses no onions or garlic — this dish gets its depth from whole spice tempering and the extended dum. Pricking the potatoes allows the gravy to penetrate the interior.