Dum Aloo with little oil

Dum means steam and Aloo means potatoes.  This is a dish made of baby potatoes steamed in a gravy of onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, yogurt and spices.  This is a delicacy of Kashmiri cuisine although every region and state in India cooks dum aloo in different ways.

Potatoes are cooked in varied ways because they are almost like a staple diet all over the world.  In fact potatoes are the world’s fourth largest food crop, after wheat, rice and maize.  Most people think potatoes provide only carbohydrates or starch, but that is not true.  Potatoes contain vitamins and minerals.  In fact the fiber content of a potato with skin is equivalent to that of many whole grain breads, pastas and cereals.  The method and medium used in cooking potatoes significantly affects the nutritional value. Nevertheless potato is generally a favorite vegetable of all.  I have yet to meet a person who hates potato.

Generally dum aloo is deep fried but I have cooked this dish just with one and a half  tbsp of oil.  My hubby who is a connoisseur of good food and the biggest critic of my dishes also liked the way I cooked dum aloo.  It is very simple to make.

Ingredients:

20 baby potatoes, one big onion chopped finely, 1 inch big piece of ginger grated, 4 cloves of garlic minced, 2 big tomatoes, ½ cup of plain yogurt, 1 ½ tbsp of cooking oil, 1 tsp of turmeric, ½ tsp of Kashmiri mirch (red pepper or paprika), ½ tsp of cumin seeds, ½ tsp of cinnamon powder, ¼ tsp of cloves powder, 1 ½ tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of garam massala or curry powder, salt to taste.


Method:

Par-boil the potatoes and peel off the skin.  If potatoes are medium size, you can cut them into two parts but if they are too tiny, just prick them gently with a fork.
Take a heavy non stick pan, heat ½ tbsp of oil and sauté these potatoes till they turn crispy or light brown.  Keep these aside.
In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil, add cumin seeds, ginger, onion and garlic in that order. Cook on the medium flame till the mixture turns light brown.  Turn off the flame and let it cool off.
Now in a food processor puree the tomatoes and this cooked onion mix.  Put this blended mixture in the same pan and cook on the slow flame till one boil.
Add turmeric, Kashmiri mirch (red pepper or paprika), cinnamon powder, cloves powder and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.  Now add coriander powder and add the sautéed potatoes. Add salt to taste.
In the meanwhile whisk the yogurt, add to the mix on the slow flame.  When the mixture gets well blended add garam massala or curry powder, close the lid and let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes.
Turn off the flame and enjoy hot with Nan or Parantha breads.