FOOD AND TRAVEL

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Dum Aloo - Baby Potatoes Steamed in Spices and Yogurt

Dum Aloo - Potatoes steamed in spices and yogurt

Two things that are always on demand for lunch at my office is biryani and dum aloo. Its less to do with my culinary skills than it is about the universal love for potatoes.
Okay I would say its about my skills too, last time one of my colleagues got a potato curry it wasn't exactly edible (sorry J).

baby potatoes

Point is, potatoes make normal people happy. That includes my family which doesn't always fit the first criteria. Whenever I'm feeling lack of motivation to cook, M's suggestion never goes beyond dal (Indian lentils soup) or dum aloo. Though his total lack of creativity about food annoys me to no end, making dum aloo is always a good thing. Happy colleagues and husband. I'm all about keeping people happy you know.

dum aloo

Dum aloo is delicacy of Kashmiri cuisine, potatoes are slowly steamed in yogurt and spices giving it a tangy spiced base. Dum literally means steam and aloo means potatoes in hindi. Even though I serve it with rice or roti, in all honestly I wish that M eats it with the carbs and gets full and the potatoes are left for me to eat by itself. That means it is great as side dish too. What food makes your family happy and you secretly happier?

In other news, I'm am glad to announce I will be a  regular contributor to Honest Cooking Magazine. Its an international online culinary magazine covering wide range of food topics from around the world. Please check it out here: www.honestcooking.com

Potatoes

Dum Aloo - Baby Potatoes Steamed in Spices and Yogurt
Serves 5
Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients

12 baby potatoes (boiled and peeled) *
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/2 tbsp garlic paste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Powdered spices
2 tsp fennel powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp red chilly powder 
1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala

Whole spices
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 dry red chillies
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
3-4 black peppercorns
2 cardamom pods

Note

* Make sure the potatoes are boiled a little less than fork tender. They should retain their shape. If you are using larger potatoes, prick them with a fork  after boiling.

Method

Heat oil in a wok and add the whole spices. That's not exactly 3 tbsp of oil but I broke my oil jar and I tried pouring the oil directly from the can and things really didn't go too well. I'm clumsy.

step1

Once the spices start to sizzle, add the garlic and powdered spices.

step2

Add in beaten yogurt along with water and salt. Mix well.

step3

The oil with start to separate and form a layer on the top. Add in the boiled potatoes and lightly mix everything. My in laws are visiting us for a couple of months and my sweet teen sister in law is my new spot girl, hand modeler and sous chef. You might see a lot of her (hand).

step4

Cover with a tight lid and steam for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve with roti or rice.

step5

Wait for the better half to be full.
SHARE:

53 comments

  1. Such a wonderful array of spices! I always fall back on the ready to use masalas for such exotic curries. Your version of Kashmiri dum aloo is energizing me to make the same.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Potatoes make me happy too...and my family isn't very normal either...that's what makes it fun :-) This dish looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love potato anytime and anyway and this is one of my fav. My version of dum aloo is lil different but loving yours with yogurt... awsm clicks too, specially while cooking.. hats off gurl :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. this is a beautiful post, and my husband will be very happy to hear it is naturally gluten free, so I can make it for him - we eat potatoes a lot but would love to try some new ways to prepare them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This dish is a delight..wonderful combination of spices with the humble potato makes it a real treat.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks so delicious!! Love the photographs... you're getting better and better at taking pics. So proud of ya! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. These look so beautiful Kulsum girl!! Alwas lovely job with photography and food!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely clicks and delicious curry..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kulsum,
    I always tend to order Dum Aloo when we dine out. Your recipe seems to be very flavorful and delicious. Though the list of spices scares me, need to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations on being part of Honest Cooking! I can't wait to read your articles.

    I have definitely heard of Dum Aloo but I have never been lucky enough to taste it. This looks absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. My mouth is watering just looking at this..What a lovely recipe! Looks so YUMMY!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The dum aloo looks fabulous!!! Loved the 2nd shot of the baby potatoes :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. stunning post! I am already in love with this recipe! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. This looks delicious. I would love to try it with the spices that you described. Congratulations on being a contributing writer to Honest Cooking Magazine. How super exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  15. lovely recipe... I like the way you used you spices and boiled potatoes instead of fried ones give it a healthy touch.

    Healthy Appetizers

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dum aloo looks awesome. I was looking for a mango cupcake and thus got your blog. You have a nice space.

    ReplyDelete
  17. potatoes make me also absolutely happy..that tint on ur first pic is soo beautiful..

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have to get over my fear of exotic cooking... i just have to. It's kind of embarrassing that I've been so afraid of making anything outside of my comfort zone.

    This is a true inspiration. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Isn't it great when you have family around to cook for you, help you with photos and just eb there? Lovely post Kulsum. I'll have to try this out.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Potatoes are my ab fav too.Bring on the carb baby :) Awesome looking dum aloo.I m such a big fan of yogurt based curries.You would have knwn that by now.I use yogurt so much.I love that baby potato basket pic- is that M or your SIL? I wanna take such shots too but P is only available on Sundays!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love potatoes any way so this is awesome for me. mmmm looks great :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. wonderful meal needs to veggies though he he thats the dietitian in me

    ReplyDelete
  23. How can dum aloo be not anyone's favorite. P who hates potatoes (call her weird) LOVES dum aloo:) Kulsum, the orange oil actually looks so wonderfully appetizing. In west bengal, dum aloo is made by boiling the potato first.. like u did.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Lovely hand model you have there. I hope she's taking notes and learning all she can while she's got you around!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Kulsum, this looks so delicious! I know my husband and I would just love it. Thanks for sharing. I'm so happy to have found your beautiful blog and am going to explore more of your recipes now! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. This looks awesome! I make a quick potato curry at least once a week (generally when I forget to defrost meat) but yours looks way better. I'll try it next week and report back :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Dum Aloo has always been our family favorite as well. We make it a little differently but then again every Indian family makes every traditional dish a little differently. Good Job with the photos and CONGRATULATIONS on the Honest Cooking gig lovely lady! U have a long long way to go.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Mmm this looks so flavorful and the little potatoes are too cute to look at. Just want to pop one right into my mouth =D

    ReplyDelete
  29. That looks very appetizing, I'm going to try this today!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Congrats on getting to magazine! Dum aloo is our family fav too, but made with difference, shall try ur version next time and pic kulsum fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  31. First time here..u hv a wonderful space with mouthwatering recipes n pics...
    Visit mine as time permits...
    And this looks so yummy n filling....following uuuuuuuuuuuuu
    Sanyukta
    http://creativesanyukta.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  32. What I love about Indian cooking is that one can take the simplest of ingredients and turn it into something flavorful and fabulous! Like the simple potato. I love this!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Tried it yesterday and turned out great! Very flavorful and delicious :) I didn't have all the spices so I missed out on a couple of them but I guess I got pretty close to the taste. Thank you for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you everyone for your kind comments. Always makes me happy!

    @Mona So glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for letting me know. That's the best part of Indian cooking - you omit or add a few things and still great a delicious meal on table :-)

    ReplyDelete
  35. really, really scrumptious dish, K. and you have a great model, dont you? i love dum aloo- an Aunty of mine from Calcutta taught my mum how to make these. love. x shayma

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love potatoes and I like the way you cooked it.
    hmmm will try soon...as I have a big bag of potatoes in my pantry :D

    ReplyDelete
  37. I've made all sorts of potatoes, but never dum aloo! Maybe that needs to change!

    Congrats on your new gig!

    ReplyDelete
  38. What a fabulous way to dress up potatoes! Love the fierce mix of spices in this recipe. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a scrumptious looking Dum Aloo! My mouth is watering and I can't wait to try it. Congrats and welcome to the Honest Cooking team :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. I'm doing research into so called "food hoarding" for a tv show and
    would love to hear from people who think they overstock, over shop or
    stockpile food.

    Please contact me on carly@alroker.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. First of all, I sooo LOVE your writing. And I couldn't agree more about potatoes. Those look soooooo good. And congrats about the online magazine. I will check it out. That's extra fabulous news this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  42. So fascinating! I've never tried anything like this!

    ReplyDelete
  43. aaaah the pictures look soo good that i want to eat them!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I must say this is making me so hungry! Beautiful shots!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Your photos are stunning! Potatoes make me happy... does that mean I'm normal? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  46. i'm making this right now..but one thing struck me..no salt?? :S

    ReplyDelete
  47. @Anonymous Gosh I always forget to write salt as an ingredient :-) You can add it along with the yogurt as per taste. I hope you will enjoy the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  48. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it! I'm a huge kasuri methi fan and it makes everything better :)

      Delete
  49. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Kulsum,

    This is the second recipe of yours I've tried and I love how your recipes are unique and flavorful. The spices are wonderfully overwhelming lending a very authentic feel to the whole experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anshu. I'm so glad you have been enjoying the recipes. Makes everything worthwhile :)

      Delete

Blog Design Created by pipdig